


Eye of the Hurricane

by Hanane_EL_Mokkadem



Series: The Life and Times of Rhea Jackson [1]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, Reincarnation, Rhea is Percy's Sister, Slow Burn, fem!Luke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-11
Updated: 2017-01-26
Packaged: 2018-01-01 05:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 86,462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1040776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hanane_EL_Mokkadem/pseuds/Hanane_EL_Mokkadem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life as a Demi-god is short and brutal. Here's to hoping I don't die before I'm at least old enough to get laid. Self-Insert</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Passage

Unlike that stupid chick from Twilight, I'd given plenty of thought on how I would die. I blamed it on being raised by a neurotic mother whose biggest fear was death ever since she found my three-year old brother floating face-down in the pond located near our back-yard.

Growing up with my mom meant being brought up fearing a number of things. Water was a big no-no in our family, so were heights, dogs, and many other things that could cause a painful death.

I was lucky. I wasn't as affected by my brother's death as my other siblings. I don't even remember him. I was exactly seven months old when he left the backyard to play with the boy next door and never came home.

Usually, my eldest sister Farrah, who was eleven years old at that time, watched him whenever he went outside to play, while my other bothers and sisters pitched in when needed. That day my sister went to a birthday party, the first she was ever invited to. My older sister Vivienne, who was nine at that time, later told me that they all just kinda thought he was with her when they couldn't find him.

Needles to say we didn't get to go to any birthday parties after that.

My sister Hannah who was seven years old when he drowned told me that things went downhill from that day. My mom went insane with grief and locked every door, both literally and figuratively speaking. My siblings, who were used to our front and back door being open at all times during the day, and being able to run around the neighborhood with the other kids, suddenly weren't allowed to go outside anymore.

Hannah's exact words were 'a complete emotional and physical lock-down'.

I didn't really experience this. By the time I was old enough to go outside my mother regained back her sanity. The rules she did have, like not accepting any birthday party invitations, or no sleepover with friends, were usually cast aside for me after I got older. The rules that weren't I just ignored.

As you can probably imagine I was a bit of a spoiled brat.

My mother's three-year old son just died and I was a helpless seven month old baby. She poured everything she had into her children, especially me. It lessened a bit when I was two years old and my baby brother was born, but it never really went away. With the way she spoiled me it was a miracle I grew up into the woman I am today. Someone with a good sense of justice who knew right from wrong. Granted, I didn't always do the right thing, but I was well aware that what I was doing was wrong and felt pretty guilty about it..most of the times.

A good example of that was my ability to manipulate most people and situations to my advantage. As a small child I used this ability relentlessly, not even understanding what I was doing, or that I was even doing it at all. When I was a teenager I used it when I could get away with it; knowing who you can manipulate and who to steer clear of goes a long way in the art of manipulating.

As an adult I had to constantly stop myself from twisting people in knots, and manipulating loved ones in doing what I wanted them to do. Sure I never wanted to hurt them and I sincerely believed I was doing what was best for them, but I was starting to see that I was somewhat, or a lot, in some cases, taking their right to choose from them.

Like my sister Vivienne asking me for advice about her boyfriend. My first instinct was to have her break up with him because I genuinely hated the guy. I knew I could get her to do it too; she was easy to manipulate. But I did my best to suppress this instinct. One of the reasons she was so easy to manipulate was that she was so naïve and trusting. She would never think such a thing of me, because I was her sister and I loved her, and I only wanted what was best for her.

She was right, but unfortunately the methods I sometimes used to get what I thought was best for her, were not always right. Luckily my moral compass was well-developed and I tried very hard to not use my 'powers' for evil.

Anyway, as I said earlier, unlike that chick from Twilight, I'd thought about dying more than was healthy for a well-adjusted person. Not only how I would die, but what would happen to me after. Was there a heaven or hell? Would I just stop existing after I died, or did the afterlife exist?

Of all the things I came up with I never ever thought it would play out the way it did.

I was twenty-seven years old when I died and a mother of three young children. I loved my children more than anything. But there were times where I wished I could go back in time and live my life again. I'd find a way to have the same children again, but there were so many things I'd change, things I'd do differently.

Death came to me the day my husband told me he wanted a divorce because he had found someone else he loved more than he loved me. I remember just looking at him not knowing what to say, feeling my chest burn and hurt; like an elephant stepped on it and was trying to wipe off the crap he accidentally stepped in.

I listened to his reasons not actually hearing much of what he said, took a deep shuddering breath and ran from the house we had planned to raise our family in and grow old together, ignoring the cry of my youngest son who was calling for his mommy. I would later very much regret ignoring that cry .

I took my car and traveled the three-hour journey it took to get to my childhood home. When I arrived I slowly walked to the pond located seventy-five yards from my parents' back-yard, not even looking at the house my mother and father were probably sitting in, watching another one of their Portuguese drama shows. It wasn't even like we were Portuguese or anything. My mom just watched it because she loved the drama and dad watched it because it took too much effort to wrestle away the remote-controller from my mom.

I looked at the water and slowly walked towards the small wooden jetty my brother supposedly fell off. I could never quite bring myself to take even one single step on it. I had played around this pond for most of my childhood. I had caught fish in it, ice-skated around on it, during winter and floated around on a blue and yellow blow-up boat on hot summer days. But during all that time, I had never quite managed to forget that this was the place my brother Forrest took his last breath.

In the years to come I would forget many things about my past, but I would always ask myself why, of all the places I could have gone to, I decided to vist the pond my brother drowned in, on, what seemed to me at the time, the worst day of my life.

I closed my eyes and thought about my beautiful children. I took a deep shuddering breath when the pain in my chest seemed to increase at the memory of their innocent smiles before opening my eyes. To my surprise the water wasn't calm. I hadn't noticed before, too preoccupied with the many thoughts running though my mind, but it was raining heavily. My clothes were wet and clinging to my body. I wasn't wearing a coat; I left home too upset to even think about taking one with me.

I took another deep shuddering breath and finally sat down in the wet grass. I rested my back against a thin metal pole that my mother told me was put there a month after my bother died. She always told me about it as if it was some kind of mark; someone died here. I never did find out what it really was.

I spent, I don't even know how long just looking at the water, wondering what the hell I was going to do. My husband was leaving me for someone else, I didn't even want to reconcile if it was even possible on his end. It was betrayal, plain and simple. Betrayal of me, our life, our children. I didn't want someone like that in my life, not anymore.

Drawing up a custody agreement wasn't going to be the biggest problem. I knew my husband loved our children very much and would want to spend time with them, I was confident that we could work out an arrangement. My worry was primarily focused on the fact that I didn't even have a high school diploma to my name. What kind of work was I suppose to find without it? It was one of the things I would've changed if I could have turned back time.

The heavy rain pelted my face and body and it didn't even feel that cold, but the wind was blowing hard enough to make it hurt. It didn't really bother me though. It was better to feel something other than the constant pain in my chest. I could hear thunder sounding not to far from me and watched with apathy as lightning cleaved the sky. The first stirrings of unease began when I realized how soon the sound of thunder was followed by a lightning bolt illuminating the heavens.

It was time to go. Not only was it dangerous to be outside during a lightning storm, but sitting around on the cold wet grass soaked to the bone would only make me sick, and that was the last thing anybody needed.

I climbed to one knee, turned around, and wrapped my hand around the thin metal pole, using it as leverage to pull myself up from the floor. I looked up when the thunder sounded even closer than before, and gasped in shock when the lightning hit the ground maybe five-hundred feet from my location.

A lightning strike itself is usually not responsible for multiple deaths or injuries from a single event. The near instantaneous rush of surface charges, induced by the overhead thundercloud itself, race to the strike point from hundreds to thousands of feet away during discharge. This current, caused during each stroke, takes the path of least resistance.

In this case it was conducted through the earth into the thin metal pole my hand was still wrapped around. It didn't kill me instantaneously, I could literally feel it going into my body as I watched in shocked horror as my hand melted into blood and bone. Pain, unbearable pain and the smell of my flesh burning is all I remember. As I fell to the ground I prayed my mother wouldn't be the one to find me. I didn't think she'd survive going through something like that twice.

My last thought as I died was; please someone help me? I don't want to die. Anything, anything but this.

I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave my children, but more importantly, I was twenty-seven years old and had my whole life in front of me. I would have done literally anything if it meant I could get a second chance. Anything.

Death was nothing like I expected. No God, no pearly gates, not even hell. It was just complete darkness. I was comfortable, yes. I felt warm and safe, a bit like drinking my mother's famous cup of hot coco with marshmallows after a long hot shower, while wearing nothing but my favorite robe that came straight out of the dryer. All in all things were good. But did I really want to spend the rest of my afterlife in the dark? No. I couldn't talk, I couldn't move, I just was. I had no body, no arms no legs, nothing. All that remained was who I used to be. My consciousness, my memories.

I thought about my kids a lot. But the pain I thought I would feel, the panic I used to feel at the mere though of losing one of my beautiful children was nonexistent. It was strange and very much unlike me, which made me worry I was losing myself to this darkness, no matter how comforting it seemed. There was this feeling I had, this certainty. I simply knew my children would be fine because their father would take good care of them. The only emotion I did vaguely feel was regret that I wasn't going to be there to watch them grow up, and sad that they would forget me. But even then I wasn't too worried. My parents and siblings would make sure my children knew who I was, and how much I loved them.

I stayed in that comforting dark place for... I don't even know how long. But slowly things began to change. I was beginning to feel human again, like my body had been put on standby and was slowly being reactivated limb after limb. First a heartbeat, I didn't even hear it because my ears were still 'offline', but I had lived with a heartbeat before, and I knew the feeling intimately, instinctively. I didn't need my ears to recognize it.

Some time after that, other sensations began to come back. Like the ability to move my hands and feet, actually having hands and feet. Hearing sounds, and opening my mouth, even if there were no sounds coming out.

I couldn't see anything but that didn't stop me from theorizing about my strange predicament. At one point I figured that I was either trapped inside the Matrix waiting to be disconnected like Neo was, or someone had taken my wish of wanting to redo my life a little too literally and I was now stuck inside my mother's womb.

So I have an over-active imagination, sue me.

I honestly wasn't sure which scenario I preferred. The Matrix theory seemed pretty cool but at this point I would settle for the one that would get me out faster. Eventually I decided to go with the flow and stop worrying. Whatever happened would happen. For now I was warm, comfortable, safe and resolved myself to enjoy the peace I was granted for however long I could.

I spent my days blowing bubbles I couldn't see, singing songs I couldn't hear and genuinely just trying to live through the boredom of being stuck in one place for too long a time without going insane. Seriously, I was so fucking bored that getting the hiccups was the equivalent of being dumped in Narnia by Aslan.

After some time I reluctantly discarded my awesome Matrix theory and admitted to myself that I was probably inside my mother's womb. In the end getting a do-over and actually having the chance to erase every mistake I ever made was a pretty cool consolation price. Either way it was a second chance at life and I was planning to hit the ground running.

I relished every sound that reached me from outside my comfy prison. There was a woman's voice who I figured was my mother since I heard her the most. There were other voices, not many, but I was happy to hear anything I could. My favorite beside my mom's voice though, was the man's voice that I knew with absolute certainty was my father's.

I didn't hear him often, but when I did I felt such warmth, and joy. I loved listening to him. And somehow, I don't know how, I could always feel it the few times he touched my mother's stomach. It was like he was touching me.

It was strange because although I loved my dad very much and had always known that my dad loved me, I had never felt as close to him as I did in those moments.

As time passed my comfy space become cramped and I could hardly move around without some serious effort. I knew I was going to be born soon, and I could only pray to God that he would allow me to forget pushing my way out of my mother's va-jay-jay. I certainly didn't think I had done that many bad things in my previous life to constitute consciously experiencing being born.

The day of my birth, or re-birth really, started with a constricting feeling. It was as if my prison had become a tub of toothpaste and I was slowly being pushed out. The entire experience was horrifyingly traumatizing and I was resolved to forget the hell out of it. So yeah, I wasn't planning on going into detail about the birthing process. I got out, that's all I was prepared to say about it.

The sensation of being held as a baby was beyond strange. I screamed like I was being dangled out of a tenth story window. I imagined it felt a lot like being cradled by a honest to god giant. It made me feel vulnerable, small, and literally scared for my life. With my shitty luck the fucker holding me would probably drop me on my head or something like that. My brother Richard used to ask me if I was dropped on my head as a baby all the time, so I figured, you know, maybe he had a legitimate reason for asking.

I honestly don't remember when I first started to get the feeling that something wasn't right. It could have been around the time that I realized the male voice I had identified as not-father was speaking English. Or when not-father called the woman who gave birth to me Sally, which was not my mother's name. Perhaps it was when he handed me to my not-mom and asked her, "How are you going to name him?"

If I could have talked, I would have been the youngest person in the history of mankind using the phrase, 'What the fuck?'

"Perseus. Perseus Jackson, named after his cousin," My not-mom answered, smile evident in her tone of voice. "And I'll call him Percy for short."

Oh sweet mother of God. Not only was I reborn to someone who in no way resembled my mother, I was born with a penis. I couldn't help but wonder if it was too late to choose the Matrix option. Anything should be better than being reborn as a member of the penis carrying card club. And that name, Perseus Jackson, I knew that name.

"Lovely name," not-father, who I had mentally re-classified as probably-doctor, said politely. "Do you also have a name picked out for the girl? I know it must have been quite a surprise to walk into the hospital expecting to leave with one child only to find out you were actually expecting two." he chuckled with amusement, "It was a big surprise for me, and I'm only the doctor. It must be quite difficult for you, especially since the father is out of the picture."

Girl? Girl? Oh please, for the love of everything that is holy, let him be talking about me. And twins, did that mean Perseus was my brother? What about my - possibly our - deadbeat dad? And what was up with this doctor? He was being kinda rude.

"There is always the option of giving one, or both, up for adopt-"

"Thank you, Doctor," my new still-not-mom said coldly, cutting him off mid-sentence. "But both my children are very wanted and loved by both their parents."

Well that was good. It would suck to be unwanted.

She took a deep breath and I felt her hand on my face softly caressing my mouth. I tried opening my eyes but I was very tired and couldn't see much more than shadows and light.

"Rhea," my new-mom said lovingly. "I'll name you Rhea, after your father's mother."

It was so nice of her to explain the origin of my new name, maybe she could also kindly explain what the fuck was going on while she was at it. Starting with why she was speaking English. It wasn't like it was going to be a problem, I understood English perfectly, but I was used to the people around me speaking Dutch, as they usually did in the Netherlands. Did that mean I was reborn in a different country?

"Perseus and Rhea Jackson," the asshole doctor said, "Both names originate in Greek Mythology, correct?"

"Yes," my mother said tiredly. "They're family names, their father is Greek."

Oh crap, I didn't like where this was going. I knew the name Percy Jackson, I loved those books so much that I decided to read them to my nephews whenever I had to babysit. It was a book series about a boy who finds out his father is Poseidon the Greek god of the sea. But I didn't remember Percy having a twin sister, so I had to be wrong. Besides, things like this simply didn't happen, and most definitely not to me. I sure a hell wasn't anything special. Why would I be reborn into a story that didn't need me, anyway? The kid did fine without any help.

"I see," the doctor said. "Well congratulations, Sally. The nurse will be with you shortly to take you and your children to your room. If you need anything or have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask."

"I will. Thank you, Doctor," she replied in a tone of voice that suggested he shouldn't hold his breath. His adoption suggestion must have truly pissed her off, which was very good to know. Were I in her place I would've felt the same; it was completely out of line.

The doctor left and my mother placed a soft kiss on the crown of my head. "You were unexpected, but welcome, so welcome, little Rhea. Your father is going to be so happy to hear he has a daughter. He doesn't have many of those, you know. No mortal daughters at least. You'll be daddy's little princess, yes you will, yes you will," she said talking with a little baby voice.

I curled my nose in disgust at the indignity I was forced to suffer, making my mother chuckle softly. It was starting to look more and more likely that I really was reborn into a story, and the sea dude really was my father. If this was my new reality instead of the massive delusion I was kind of hoping it was, then I could practically kiss any hope of a safe, uncomplicated life goodbye.

'Well fuck me sideways.'

If I really was Rhea, daughter of Poseidon, then at the very least I had some idea of what was coming. It was better than being born in a world I knew jack shit about. I would have to think about it later. Or maybe, if I was really lucky, this was a hallucination the Matrix came up with, and all I had to do was sit tight and wait for Morpheus and Trinity to come rescue my ass.

Yeah. Somehow I didn't think so either.

My new mother's disgustingly cute baby talk was thankfully interrupted when three nurse came to wheel us to our room. One of the nurses took me from my mother and gently laid me down into, if I remembered correctly from my own experiences with childbirth, a plastic crib on wheels.

"There you go," she said, gently laying me down. "Say hello to your big brother."

I could feel a body next to mine, moving with every intake of breath. My new brother was obviously still sleeping. That was good, I didn't need to have a crying baby screaming in my ear at a time I was feeling like my world was coming to end. I was going take my brother's example and sleep. Maybe the world would start to make sense again after waking up from a nap.

.

Ω

.

I spent the next weeks after my birth ignoring the world around me, grieving for my old life and saying goodbye. My mother often commented how different I was compared to my brother who was constantly crying, shitting, and puking his way through infancy.

Sure, I did all those things too, but unlike my brother I kept the crying to a bare minimum, and only let myself be heard if I was hungry, had a tummy ache, or suffered from the indignity of a dirty diaper. I wasn't even going to think about breastfeeding.

Talk about being traumatized for life.

I was an easy baby to raise, more involved with what was going on inside my mind than what was happening around me. I'd decided early on that the whole Percy Jackson thing would be written off as a coincidence until having a Greek god as father could be proven without reasonable doubt; like witnessing him walk on water - or watching him turn water into wine. Wait, wasn't that Jesus who did those things? Never mind, they sounded enough like a miracle to use it as a measuring stick.

Until I saw proof, and probably after too, I was going to ignore it and concentrate on living my new life. The reality of losing everything I had ever known was hard to accept at times. The numb feeling that flooded me whenever I thought about being separated from my family stopped me from focusing on it too much. In the end, this was the way the dice fell and there was nothing I could do to change it. It made it easier to see my situation clearly. I loved my family dearly but realistically speaking; I was never going home. Letting go was surprisingly easy once I accepted that indisputable fact.

However, accepting that my old life was gone didn't make it any easier to embrace my new one.

So yeah, maybe my old life was dead and buried. But that didn't automatically turn Sally and Percy into my new family. It didn't mean I had to allow Sally to take my mom's place or Percy to become my brother.

I had called him my brother in my mind before and Sally my mother, but I only did it because it would be expected of me, not because I wanted to. I felt more like an actress studying for a role than anything else. Because deep down I couldn't help but think that they weren't really my family. That the only reason I ended up with them was because some higher being up there decided it was funny to fuck up my afterlife.

It took some time for me to accept that if the gods, or whatever the hell was up there, really did screw up, they did so by not erasing the memories of my previous life. Somehow I doubted that being reborn was a mistake.

Percy Jackson turned out to be a very loud, needy child who constantly used my fingers as a pacifier. I allowed him to because it was the only thing that would shut the damn brat up. My mother made us sleep in the same crib so he was the first thing I saw clearly in this world, and vice versa. We were like fucking baby geese imprinting on each other. When I looked into his eyes for the first time I finally realized that he truly was my brother; my twin.

Things got better for me after realizing that. Easier.

I met my father for the first time when I was exactly four weeks old. My mother picked Percy up from our playpen because he was being his usual annoying self, crying so loudly that our next-door neighbor pounded the wall demanding silence. I watched it happen with the lazy indifference of someone who'd seen it all before.

I heard the knock on the door but figured it was our neighbor coming to complain in person. It wouldn't be the first time and with the way Percy was usually wailing it up, it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

The first clue that the person knocking was someone other than our neighbor was the shocked gasp that left my mother's mouth when she opened the door, and Percy halting mid-wail at the sound of our visitor's voice.

"Sally," the man's voice breathed softly.

"...P-Poseidon... What are you doing here?" my mother asked breathlessly.

Well... It wasn't as much proof as watching him perform miracles, but seriously, how many people had a cousin named Perseus, a grandmother named Rhea, and a father named Poseidon?

I was sort of, very reluctantly mind you, beginning to see the light.

"I am here to see you- and um... our child, of course. I would like to meet them if that's alright."

He sounded hesitant, as if he wasn't sure he'd be welcomed. Underneath that hesitation there was longing, though. So much longing. Both for Sally and Percy.

"Oh. Yes, of course. Please come in," my mother said, clearly flustered by his presence.

"I was unsure if- if you wanted me here... After everything that happened..." Poseidon - my father - trailed off uncertainly after he stepped into our apartment.

I wondered what happened between them. They seemed so awkward around each other, so hesitant.

"Of course I want you here," my mother said emphatically, "I always want you here," she reiterated. "I simply didn't expect you to come. You said it was dangerous."

"It is," my father admitted softly. "I took every precaution I could, but it's still dangerous. The less time I spend around the child the more chance they have at survival."

Percy chose that time to let out a tired whine breaking the silence he adopted since he heard our father's voice. I understood why, Poseidon's voice was soothing and warm, the best feeling in the world next to our mom's voice. It would calm down anyone even an annoying whiny brat like my brother. Honestly, the kid was lucky he was so cute, or I would've strangled him long ago for all the sleep deprivation he caused me.

"So this is our child," my father said softly, almost reverently.

"A boy," mom said, swallowing heavily. "It's a boy."

"What's his name?" my father asked, his tone soft and filled with awed curiosity.

"Perseus," my mom replied just as softly. ''Percy for short. I was hoping his cousin's good luck might rub off on him."

My father chuckled softly. "He is beautiful, Sally. May I hold him?"

"Of course," my mother replied, voice thick with unidentified emotions.

I gave them a moment to coo over my brother's ridiculous cuteness but figured it was about time I let myself be heard. Seriously with the way this was going my mom would forget telling my father about me and then I'd never get to meet him. Well unless I went on that ridiculous quest to find Mr. Anal Retentive's lightning bolt. I honestly didn't see that happening. The last time I was even remotely close to lightning I watched my own hand melt to a pole.

Hell to the no with that.

I let out a small cry startling my mother. It was just meant to get he attention so I stopped at that. I reminded her of my existence, the rest was up to her.

"Oh," my mother said. "Poseidon I-I have something to tell you, I... I'll just show you," she said hesitantly, obviously not knowing how to tell him. I guess 'Surprise! We got two for the price of one!' was not the way to go about it.

She walked over to the play-pen and gave me a warm but nervous smile. "Time to meet your daddy, Princess," she whispered softly before lifting me in her arms.

"Poseidon, meet our daughter, Rhea Jackson."

The first thing I saw were a pair of beautiful startled sea-green eyes. My first thought when watching my father gape at me like a fish was that if there was any justice in this universe, it would make sure I inherited my father's beautiful eyes. And his eye lashes, so dark, long and full. I was sure that innocently widening my eyes and blinking at people would get me anything I wanted, seriously, I was pretty convinced that they held the secret to world-domination. And getting laid. A lot.

"Sally..." my father spluttered.

"I know," my mother agreed with a small chuckle. "It surprised me, too. I thought I was done when the contractions suddenly started up again. Four minutes late little Rhea was born."

"A daughter," my father said, voice filled with wonder. "You named her Rhea, after my mother."

He held Percy in his arms as he looked at me with awe-filled eyes. "You have given me a beautiful boy and a precious girl. Do you know how long it has been since I was blessed with a daughter? And never have I been blessed with twins.''

He looked up at my mother, his eyes burning fiercely. "Gods, Sally, I love you so much."

Well now. That was certainly... Heartfelt. I sincerely hoped I wouldn't have to witness my parents getting busy or something like that. Oh the trauma.

"Poseidon I-,"

"Please, Sally, reconsider. I love you so much and I want to live the rest of your life with you. I want to raise our children together, have more children with you. I can't stay with you on the surface it isn't safe, my brothers would kill you and our children without hesitation. But you can come with me and live in my domain. You'd be safe there, the children would be safe. I swear to you that you'll never want for anything. I won't leave you until the day you die, and I'll remain faithful to you."

My mother gaped at him and I had to admit I was probably mirroring her expression. In all honesty, I had no intention of living inside the freaking ocean like I was a cast member of The Little Mermaid. I had resolved myself to live this life to the fullest and would take this opportunity to lead the life I'd always wanted to live. I refused to hold myself back from doing something I truly wanted to do; to hell with fear and shame. Being the daughter of Poseidon only gave me more incentive to live my life the best way I could, since I probably wasn't going to survive for very long. I could literally die at any moment with all those monsters and uptight uncles out to get me. And maybe next time, I would stay dead or be reborn in another world as Tom Riddle's twin sister or gods forbid, Dolores Umbridge.

So it was safe to say I wasn't really looking forward to spending the rest of my life 'Under the Sea'. Still, after listening to my father's passionate plea I was mentally willing my mother to accept.

"Poseidon I-I don't know what to say," my mother stammered.

It was all I could do to stop myself from screaming out 'Say yes, Fool!' but even if baby me could have managed to form the words I figured that might have given away the fact that I wasn't exactly a normal girl. I was not planning on sharing the secret of my reincarnation with anyone. Ever.

"I want to, Poseidon, gods how I want to-,"

"Then say yes, Sally," my father implored desperately.

"What about your wife?" my mother demanded. "What about your other children? Things aren't that simple."

Well she was right about that. His wife probably wouldn't be very pleased if he brought his lover and children to live with him in the ocean. It was good to know my father loved my mother and wanted to raise his kids, but it didn't seem like a realistic plan.

"Things are that simple. Sally, do you still love me?" he asked softly.

"Yes. Of course I do. I'll never stop," she admitted candidly. "I might meet someone new once I feel ready to move on, someone who loves me. And who knows, maybe I'll even love him back. But it will never hold a candle to what I feel for you. You're it for me. But I'm not that person for you. I'm just another woman in a long line of women that once held your attention," my mother said sadly.

It was heartbreaking to hear, honestly. Though I didn't think my mom was completely right about my father.

"Sally, please just..." my father sounded so hurt and desperate it was painful to hear. "Why won't you believe me when I tell you you're different. I love you so much."

"I don't deny that, I know you love me. But I don't think I'm very different from the women you had before me, or the women you'll have after me. You always go back to your wife in the end, Poseidon."

"Do you want me to leave Amphitrite, is that it?" my father questioned, looking at my mother intensely.

My mother took a deep breath. "Honestly? You're the god of the sea, I don't think it's in your nature to be a one-woman man," my mother sighed tiredly. "This conversation is pointless. We've been over this again and again and at the end of the day we still want different things. It's unfair of me to hold you to human standards because you're not human. You're a god, and I'm a mortal. We were going to end sooner or later. Dreaming of things that will never happen is only going to hurt us both in the long run."

"I'm not giving up," dad said firmly. "I'm not. I've already build our house in the sea, I'm only waiting for you to say yes so I can bring you and our children home."

My mother was silent, she obviously didn't know what to say to that. She looked torn, confused, and like she needed some time to think. I decided to lend a helping hand by cooing at my father, hoping I could cause a distraction by being all cute and baby-like.

"Hello, little Princess," my father said warmly, shifting his attention to me. I gave him a toothless grin which I knew from personal experience with my own children could melt even the coldest of hearts. My father was no exception. You could almost visibly see him go aw.

"She likes you," my mom said sounding a little surprised.

My father must have picked up on the surprise too because he gave her an injured look. "Why wouldn't she like me?" he asked almost hurt.

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that," my mom hastily assured him. "This is just the most I've seen her interacting with anyone, even me." she sounded a little sad at that.

Aw, crap on a pogo stick. I seriously needed to brush up on my acting skills. With Percy's behavior to use as a reference my mother was obviously slowly being clued in to the fact that I wasn't behaving like a regular child. It wasn't a real problem or anything, it wasn't like she was going to look at me and guess 'mmm this looks like a baby who still has the memories of her previous life' or anything like that. But it could still prove to be troublesome in the future; with my luck she'd send me to a therapist to talk about my feelings or some shit like that.

"What do you mean?" my father asked.

"I don't know, she's just very different from Percy. She never laughs, she rarely cries. She hardly moves or interacts with anyone," she said worriedly. Her tone turned wistful, "And now you're here, and she's smiling and cooing at you. she's never done that with me - not once."

My father smiled proudly. "Perhaps it's my power she's sensing. She is a child of the sea; my presence has a positive effect on all my children."

"Is that why Percy hasn't cried since he's heard your voice?" she asked curiously.

My father gave her a puzzled look, silently urging her to elaborate.

"Unlike Rhea Percy is hardly ever calm and quiet. I love our son very much but I could really use a good night's rest."

My father gave her an apologetic smile. "I suppose Percy might have inherited the more volatile aspects of the sea while Rhea inherited the calm."

My mother smiled faintly. "Yeah, maybe."

My father gave Percy a warm smile, murmured something in a language I somehow knew was ancient Greek, and kissed his forehead. I felt his presence, or maybe power was the more appropriate word, flare briefly leaving the comforting smell of a warm ocean breeze.

"May I hold my daughter?"

"Of course, just hand me Percy so I can put him to bed, he seems to be sleeping."

My parents carefully switched babies and my eyes widened in surprise when my father held me for the fist time. When I was about seventeen years old I went on a vacation to Morocco with my mom and dad. My parents loved traveling around the country visiting many big cities. But I liked going into the mountains and visiting places that were hard if not impossible to reach by car.

When we visited Al Hoceima, a city and port in the north of Morocco and in the center of the Rif Mountains, I was ecstatic. My family stayed in a hotel in the city center, and visited the beach, which was filled with tourists. And I left to explore the less tourist activity the first chance I had. I took a Honda, which was basically an unofficial cab that worked more like a city bus, seeing as how it only drove from point A to point B and back again and was shared by different people, all strangers, to the first public, but non-tourist beach I could find.

It wasn't easy to get there, and I may have gotten lost a couple of times climbing those hills, but I got there eventually and it was more than worth it.

The beach was populated by locals, not more than thirty people. The water was beautiful, sea green, and calm. The only annoying thing were the stones I had to walk across in the water instead of the traditional sand, but that was easily remedied by going deep enough in the water to not have to stand on the sometimes painfully sharp stones.

I remember just floating in that water. Floating on my back watching the beautifully colored sky. I felt like I was all alone on my own private ocean having a taste of heaven.

That was how it felt like in my father's arms. Just me, all alone, floating peacefully in the ocean.

"My beautiful daughter," my father whispered softly. "This is the first time I have seen you, the first time I have held you in my arms, and I already love you so much," he said sincerely. "I won't stop trying to convince your mother to come live in my domain, but whether she does or not, you have such a difficult path ahead of you. You and your brother, both."

I could see the grief painting face and it made me unbearably sad. This man had lived so long, and lost so many children, it was daunting to even think about.

"I will help you and your brother any way I can, rules be dammed. But I cannot be a visible presence in your life, not if your mother raises you and Percy on the surface. I am so sorry for all the difficulties you will encounter as my child, and the harsh burden you will bear, but I am not sorry you were born."

If I remembered correctly he told Percy the opposite in one of the books. So either his social skills took a nose dive, or he likes me more than Percy because I'm a girl. Huh, go figure.

I grinned at my father, cooed cutely, and tried to touch his cheek without slapping him in the face. I hated that I had so little control over my motor functions but understood that it was the downside of being stuck in infancy. I had the memories of an adult but everything else about me was still only four weeks old.

It was a pain in the ass but it also meant I would have the ability to pick things up faster, because children's brains are more flexible than adult brains since they're not fully developed until approximately the age of twenty-five.

My small hand missed his cheek and landed on his mouth instead and I couldn't help but smile at the ticklish feeling of his beard. He grabbed my hand and placed a loving kiss on it. "Perfect," he murmured softly.

"She almost seems a different baby now that you're here," my mother said softly, making her presence known.

I was going to have to make some serious effort for my mom. It wasn't her fault that she got a baby with an adult mind as one of her children. At least she still had Percy to coddle and take care of. It made me feel less like I'd stolen something irreplaceable from her.

"She's beautiful," my father murmured softy, still holding my small hand. "You do understand that everything I warned you about when you were still pregnant applies doubly now?"

"What do you mean?"

My father took a deep breath, as if he was gathering his resolve. "I told you that our child would never be safe and that they would be hunted by every monster that caught their smell. Children of the big three are in more danger than other demigods because they're more powerful. You now have two children sired by an elder god, Sally. If raising one child was already dangerous, you can imagine what raising two of my children will mean."

"What are you trying to tell me?" my mother asked worriedly. "That I can't raise both of our children?"

Oh crap, this wasn't the part where they separated me from my twin brother, was it? 'Cause that would really suck, in a Lifetime movie kind of way.

"No, Sally, I'm only trying to tell you that you might have no other choice than sending them to Camp Half-Blood. Sooner than you might want to."

My mother sighed tiredly. "To be completely honest I hadn't planned on sending them at all. I don't want my children to be raised by strangers."

My birth was causing a lot of trouble to my new parents and brother. I kind of felt bad about it.

My father kissed my hand softly before letting it go. "You won't have a choice. They're heroes, Sally. They generally don't tend to lead safe lives. I'm sorry for doing this to you, my love, but closing your eyes and hoping the monsters will go away won't help anyone. It's better to face reality head-on. Monsters will come after them, and by sending them to Camp Half-Blood you're making sure that they'll learn to care of themselves. They'll be safer that way."

I couldn't help but wonder if my father gave my mother this speech in the other time line, the one where I was never born. I had a feeling he didn't because Sally seemed like a smart woman to me. I knew she loved Percy very much, but I don't think she would've risked his life just to keep him with her. My dad must have been more gentle with her then. Or maybe he hadn't felt the need to say anything because Percy was alone, but now that it was two of us...

"How long do I have?" my mother's voice sounded thin, like she was going to pass out at any second.

"You'll have a few years until their scent becomes too strong. You don't have to send them all year-long, if you don't want to. They could only go for the summer. And once they're strong enough to deal with the monsters themselves, they could come back to you and not go at all."

Wow, that would be a major change to the story. I wonder what that small divergence would cause in the long run?

"I can't just-," my mother's words choked off in a sob.

"Oh, Sally, I'm so sorry," my father sighed sadly. He gave me a helpless look as if expecting me to tell him what to do before hurrying to the small bedroom he saw my mother enter earlier to put Percy to bed.

"Your mother needs me, little Princess," he said softly before he spoke what I think was an ancient Greek blessing, and lifted me up to give me a lingering kiss on my forehead.

Wow... Seriously, I had never used drugs before in my life but I imagined this was a bit what being high felt like. Just a rush of pure undiluted power and feeling like everything was under a magnifying glass. I felt more of me, like I wasn't complete before.

There had been this sense of power inside me, something I felt since I was born in this new world, something I didn't remember feeling in my old life. But it felt muted somehow like only an elusive echo of the real thing - something I couldn't grasp no matter how much I tried.

Now it felt like the power I had previously sensed were only a couple of slow drips from a leaky faucet that was just turned wide open by my father. I felt magnificent. If this was only a small fraction of what the gods felt daily, I now kind of understood why they mostly acted like a couple of arrogant, cocky bastards.

My father hastily put me down and almost ran back to my mother. The last thing I heard was my mother crying and my father comforting her.

I fell asleep watching my twin brother's chest moving rhythmically with every intake of breath.


	2. Momentum

My father stayed away from my mother for a long while after the first time he came to vist. I think he didn't want to make it any harder than necessary on her. Or maybe he didn't want to make it harder on himself, I wasn't sure. It was plain to see that my father loved her very much and that her rejection of him, and what he had to offer, had deeply hurt him.

He visited me and my brother though. Any lingering doubts on the subject of godhood were put to rest the first time he appeared out of thin air. I'm not ashamed to admit I needed a diaper change after witnessing that.

My father must have remembered what my mother told him about not getting enough rest because he only came when she was sleeping. I did what I could to help my mother out, really, but I was just a baby and there was only so much I could do to keep Percy entertained. Also, my fingers were in a state of permanent wrinkle from being in Percy's wet mouth for so long. For my mom - and my poor, poor fingers - my father was a godsend. Or, you know, a god.

Percy, who would usually scream the entire apartment building awake the second he woke up, was immediately picked up by my father and held lovingly in his arms until he fell back to sleep, and then it would be my turn.

I loved listening to my father talk about his life. He spoke in ancient Greek, which was a little hard for me to understand at first, but came to me naturally after listening to him for a while. It was like speaking a language you grew up hearing, but hadn't spoken often. There was this instinct telling me what it meant, but there was still a part of me that was hesitant, unsure if I was right, and too shy to ask questions. Or as in my case I couldn't ask because I was supposed to be a baby.

I admit it was pretty weird at first but I knew demigod children were hardwired to speak and understand ancient Greek. It was just one thing in a long line of things I was going to have to get used to in this new life. Compared to the monsters, prophesies, and the general madhouse that would become our lives, this was a small thing.

My father told me about the sea and what it truly looked like. How it felt to live in the water and all the beautiful places he wanted to show me and Percy when we were older. He spoke to me about Triton and how he was sure he would welcome me because he always asked his father for little sister to spoil. He explained that Triton probably wouldn't be as welcoming to Percy at first, but that he had every faith that I would act as the bridge between them and smooth things over. Apparently Triton usually felt threatened by Poseidon's male offspring; something to do with claims on the throne. Ridiculous. As if a girl couldn't be ruler of a kingdom.

He explained how it felt to have command over an element that could bring both life and death, and what it was like to look at the sea and instinctively know how to bend that uncontrollable force to your wil. I couldn't wait to find out what he meant by that. I loved hearing his thoughts on how it felt to stand inside a hurricane of your own creation and watch it destroy everything around you while you stand safely in its eye. I had to admit that after hearing his compelling descriptions I immediately wanted to try it out for myself.

He told me stories about his brothers and sisters, their children. His children, both dead and living. His life. He even spoke about the politics in the sea and the trouble he was having getting some species to work together. Apparently Mermen were arrogant assholes he wanted to skewer with his trident most of the time.

He talked about things you'd only talk to a baby about because you know they can't really understand you, and even if they do, they'll forget about it when they're older anyway. It was private, inappropriate at times, too much information at other times, but mostly, it was interesting. And surprisingly enough, funny.

I got to know my dad in a way only a few people knew him, in a way I didn't think I ever would, knowing what I knew about his and Percy's future relationship. The Percy I read about didn't like the relationship he had with Poseidon. Sure it was better than most demigods had with their godly parent, but it didn't seem enough. Poseidon seemed almost frustrated to me, like he wanted to have a good father son relationship with Percy, but didn't know how. Percy just accepted the small scraps thrown at him, and secretly resented the hell out of his father for not being there like a regular dad. It wasn't the kind of relationship I was planning on having with my dad, far from it.

I didn't know if he used to visit Percy before the books started, I liked to think he did. Percy did have some sort of memory about his father, so it was possible. The only difference was that Percy wouldn't remember, and I would. My father didn't know it, but I loved him just as much as he loved us. I, unlike Percy, would have memories of him and he wouldn't be a stranger to me later on. I would never doubt his love for us, or resent him for not being a part of our lives. I was lucky enough to understand and I vowed to make my brother understand too.

One of the first things I noticed about this new life, other than the Greek gods walking this earth and using mortals as their own personal harem, was the time difference between the year the books took place, and the year we actually lived in.

In the books Percy was born on August 18, 1993 which was very different from the year of our actual birth. We were born on August 18, 2002 which was almost a decade later. We'd be small children if the lightning bolt was to be stolen at the same date as in the books. It made it an unlikely possibility in my opinion. It was far more likely that everything would start happening around 2015. Likely, but not completely certain, because nothing truly was.

I had assumed from pretty much the beginning that I was reborn in the book version of Percy Jackson & the Olympians, but for all I knew it was the movie version instead. Even though Percy was older in the movies, I couldn't help but hope I landed myself in the book version instead. I had seen both movies but hadn't liked them, for the most part. I didn't want to live that version of the story, even if it did mean I would get a few more extra years to live my life undisturbed. In the end I just had to wait and see, and try not to assume to know what was going on until I had all the facts.

The different time thing was something I had a hard time getting used to. It was fucking weird being an infant at a time I already met my husband and was only a year away from conceiving my first child in my past life. I tried really hard not thinking about it because I was pretty sure it was going to make my head explode otherwise.

Growing up was pretty uneventful. Being a child was boring and surprisingly not as fun as I thought it would be. Then again, my mother did always tell me: 'You always want what you can't have.' When I was a child in my first life I couldn't wait to become an adult. When I was an adult I kept thinking that things were so much easier when I was a child. Now that I was a child again I couldn't wait to grow up and go out into the world. Being constantly bored with only my brother's silly antics to amuse me was beginning to take its toll on my sanity.

My father stopped visiting a couple of weeks after our first birthday. It was my own damn fault for not keeping my big mouth shut. It honestly just slipped out, really. He was my father, it was only natural I call him daddy, even if every instinct was telling me not to because it would be a stupid idea. I simply couldn't help it. He materialized into my bedroom forty minutes late, and I had been worried because he was never late. I was just so happy he came, I yelled, "Daddy!"

It was both the happiest and saddest I had ever seen my father. The second I saw the look on his face I knew it was the last I was going to see him for a long time. I guess he knew he couldn't stay in our lives long without being discovered by the other gods, and that it would do less damage to us if he left us when we were still too young to remember him, than later on. I understood, but I still missed him so damn much.

My mother was wonderful. She was patient she was kind. I loved Percy, he was so cute he made it impossible not to love the him, but there were days I was fantasizing about throwing his whiny ass out of the window. If my mother ever had such thoughts, I never saw any evidence of it. She was great. It didn't make growing up again any less boring, though. Later, I would thank the gods for not going through with the 'throw Percy out of the window' plan because my big brother was ultimately the only thing saving me from death by boredom.

It amused my mother to see me take care of Percy while he was supposed to be the elder twin. I tried teaching him to talk so that my own prodigious development wouldn't raise any eyebrows, it didn't really work out. My mother was usually within hearing distance so I couldn't do anything too extraordinary. It sucked, but it couldn't be helped.

It came as a complete surprise to me though when Percy took his first steps before I did. I figured things like that would come easier to me because I had years of experience walking around, but I was so wrong. Children don't understand danger, they literally have no sense of self-preservation. I was a child, but my adult mind was constantly making up all kinds of scenarios about falling and busting my head open like a melon or something equally horrific. It was scary. I just couldn't seem to let go of the table to take that first independent step. In this at least, my adult memories were a hindrance and not an advantage.

I got there eventually, but it wasn't easy. The only reason I let go of my fear and took that first step was because not walking meant I couldn't chase Percy around the house keeping him out of trouble. Crawling after his ADHD ass was simply not as effective as running.

The first time I threw my mother for a loop was when I was eighteen months old and she gave me a children's book to look at the pictures. The stupid thing was ten pages long and was about all kinds of fruit. There was a big picture if a green apple, with the word written underneath it, it should have been child's play for me. Only it wasn't. I couldn't read the word that, my common sense was telling, represented apple. I couldn't read orange either, or banana, or grape, I couldn't read any of the damn words. I panicked.

First I thought it was some after-effect of being born, that I had to learn how to read all over again. But then I remembered demigods were dyslexic. I was dyslexic.

I was completely devastated.

When I was ten years old in my past life, my school decided to host a charity fair for an orphanage in Uganda that our principal visited over the summer. I ran my own stall selling lemonade, Moroccan mint thee, Sfenj (Moroccan donuts) and Msemen (Moroccan square-shaped pancakes). My stall was very popular but the stall next to me wasn't. A boy a year younger than me was selling his mom's old books, harlequin romance novels mostly, and no one seemed interested in buying. I felt kinda bad for him so I bought one of his books.

I kept that book in my room for two years without ever opening it, until the day I pissed off my mom one too many times and was grounded for a month. I was so bored with being confined to my room the second I returned home from school that I tried anything to relieve my boredom, even cleaning. During one of those days my eye caught a long forgotten romance novel, and I figured, why not. It beat counting the plastic glow in the dark stars scattered around my sealing for the millionth time. I vividly remember being instantly hooked from the first page. I had read plenty of times before, for school, or punishment. But reading something voluntarily was completely different altogether. It opened my eyes to a whole other world.

Looking back on it, some days, I couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if the book I randomly chose to buy from that boy's stall sucked. I think that would have been my only voluntary foray into reading.

Ever since that day I fell in love with the written word. And soon I found that even though reading books could be amazing, writing stories was even more fun. I wanted to be a writer. It wasn't about publishing stories, or being famous and earning money, it was simply about creating people and worlds. I embraced it with the awed-wonder of a child discovering magic was real. In my stories I could do anything, be anyone. It was exhilarating.

When I first realized I was reincarnated into another world and had essentially lost everything I had ever know, I didn't cry. But the moment I came to the awful realization that Rhea Jackson was dyslexic, I started crying and didn't stop, no matter what my mother tried. I was completely devastated and couldn't help but feel feel somewhat cheated. It was stupid maybe, but I had already lost my entire world and everyone I had ever loved or hated. And now this. Why did I need to lose something that was such an essential part of my identity? It was so unfair. I finally had the chance to start over, to do everything I ever wanted to do but couldn't, and my most precious thing, something that defined me, made me who I was, was taken from me.

It was the first time since being born into this world, that I had felt truly lost.

I just wanted to go home. Wake up in my own bed, play dress up with my beautiful kids, and have fights with my cheating husband. I cried - whenever I wasn't passed out from exhaustion - for an entire week, scaring my mother so much she took me to see the doctor almost daily. Thinking back on it, it was probably terrifying for my mom to have a baby that almost never cried turn into a screaming banshee.

It took a while for me to accept it as a new fact of life. I never truly got over it, though. I tried to tell myself, dyslexic or not, I would try writing anyway. If it didn't work out then that would be okay, because for me, writing was never about having other people read my work. I could still make up stories and characters in my mind. At the end of the day it was a bitter pill to swallow.

Ω

Our peaceful routine was shaken up around the time Percy and I celebrated our third birthday. My mom decided it was time to get back to work and found herself a job. I hadn't really given it much thought other than the fact that she was going to have to work sooner or later. She was very adamant with my father about wanting to stand on her own two feet instead of relying on him to take care of her.

I winced every time I thought about how my father would feel knowing my mother didn't want his help in taking care of us. I understood why my mom did it; independence and a clean break from my father. But my dad was still very much in love with her. He would most definitely see it differently. It would hurt him very much to know that my mother didn't want anything from him, no matter the reason.

The downside of my mom finding a job was that Percy and I had to go to pre-school. Now, I'm sure that pre-school is a lot of fun for normal children - Percy seemed to hate it, of course, but no one ever accused him of being normal - for me, however, pre-school was a complete and utter hell.

It was one thing to have my ass wiped by my mother, but it was another thing entirely to have strangers do it for me. That shit was just fucking unacceptable.

I spent my days plotting revenge on the unsuspecting teachers working at the school. I swore to myself that the second I figured out how to cause earthquakes or hurricanes, I was annihilating the fuckers. I may have overreacted just a tiny bit, but it was humiliating. I was an adult trapped in a child's body, having to endure those kinds of undignified things really screwed with the little sanity I still had left.

Since I hadn't yet learned how to throw a hurricane on their asses, I messed with them in other ways. Whenever they tried to take Percy away from me to let him play with the other children, I would start screaming as if my head was on fire. I'd stop the second Percy was back by my side, but it was still fun to see what kind of chaos my screaming could cause. The funny thing was Percy copying my behavior. Needless to say they stopped trying to separate me from my brother.

The day Percy cemented himself into my heart and tore down any walls I had erected by trying to keep a distance between us in order to protect myself from getting hurt, started out normal. Mom dropped us off at school, they tried to get me to play one of their stupid games, I refused, they put me down to take a nap, and Percy screamed his way to my side. Same shit different day.

What wasn't normal, however, was the snake lying on my chest when I woke up from my nap.

I had five seconds to look at the snake who'd opened his mouth poised to bite me when Percy grabbed it, slammed it against the wall a couple of times, before strangling it to death. It was the strangest fucking shit I had ever seen. And since I remembered being pushed out of my mother's va-jay-jay, that was truly saying something.

"Bad snaky," my big brother admonished, shaking his chubby index finger at the now dead, or at the very least seriously injured, snake. "No bite, Ray-Ray."

I couldn't help but snort at the absurdity of the situation. It was... yeah... There were simply no words. I had just witnessed my brother strangle a snake, that would've bitten me without his interference, wondering if this was really what my life was going to be like from now on. Make-believe creatures, gods, and epic fights between good and evil. My brother would literally be saving the world, and I was going to be right there beside him.

What. The. Actual. Fucking. Fuck.

I was probably not even going to make it to twenty, and even if I did, it would be one constant battle. This was not at all what I meant when I thought about getting a second chance at life. But strangely, I was okay with that. Dying young - again - would suck big time, but I wasn't afraid to die, not anymore. And if I would die doing something worthwhile, all the better. But even more importantly, I could make a difference for Percy. Not just by fighting beside him, but by being there for him. By simply being his sister I could make sure he wouldn't have to do everything alone.

I was still watching him play with the snake thirty minutes later contemplating the insane life Percy and I had ahead of us. And thinking about what an awesome brother I had, when my mother walked in to pick us up and started screaming at the top of her longs when she saw what it was exactly that my brother was playing with. In hindsight I probably should have sounded the alarm earlier, but in my defense, it was hard to turn away from such awesomeness. My big brother really was my hero.

After ripping the snake out of Percy's hands and lots of screaming and panicking on my mother's part, she lifted us into her arms and ran out of the crèche like a bat out of hell. To my eternal joy we never went back to that place.

My mother was a nervous wreck jumping at shadows for months after the close encounter with the snake. I figured out early on that she suspected someone deliberately put the snake with us in the crib. I wasn't sure what to think about that. It was weird as hell, sure, but if someone attempted to kill us via snake bite, that would mean that our existence was known to them. In the books Percy wasn't known as the son of Poseidon until my dad claimed him. That meant it was either a crazy accident, or someone knew about us and tried getting rid of us without getting our dad in trouble for breaking the oath.

I didn't know what was really going on, or if someone was truly trying to kill us, but I was resolved not to let my brother out of my sight.

That resolution become a lot harder to enforce once we became older and Percy started having trouble in school. He was kicked out and forced to find another school after only a year, and instead of withdrawing me and sending me with Percy to his new school, my mother decided to split us up, and enroll him in a different school altogether.

We were separated for the first time in our entire life and we didn't like it. I understood why of course, but Percy razed hell about our mother's decision and my easy compliance. It was a difficult time in our family. A time filled with anger, misunderstandings, and secrets. I couldn't exactly tell the idiot to knock off his whiny bitching because our mom only separated us to keep us alive. I got where he was coming from, I didn't like being away from him either, especially knowing how easily he fell into situations that had the ability to kill him, but it simply was the way it had to be.

He accepted it once my mother told him some bull shit story about it not being good for me to change schools out of the blue, and that he wasn't being punished for getting kicked out. He accepted it, but never really understood it, or got over it.

The next few years were less boring. Not that it was saying much. There were a lot of strange things happening around me and my brother. The weird thing was that I wouldn't really have thought about it, chalked it up to the usual New York weirdness even, if I hadn't already been on guard after the snake incident, and if my mother hadn't reacted so strongly to it. At first I wondered what she was seeing that I wasn't, until I remembered that she had the ability to see through the Mist.

It pissed me off to know that there were things going on around us, monsters trying to kill us maybe, and that I couldn't even see them. How the hell was I supposed to protect my brother if I couldn't even see what was coming for him.

It took a while for me to train myself to look beyond the Mist, partly because I had no idea when something was unusual. Everything seemed normal to me, that was the entire point of the Mist. It would've been easier if someone could have shown me the difference between the two, so I could try to resist it.

First I went with the Harry Potter route, treating it somewhat like Legilimency. All I had to do was learn Occlumency to protect my mind from being clouded by the Mist. That didn't really work out at all. Mainly because I didn't have a fucking clue about what I was doing. After many failed experiments I decided to simply watch my mom very closely whenever she reacted strangely. When that happened I tried to feel the difference between being influenced by the Mist and an influence-free day. After a lot of effort I learned to spot the difference. Whenever the Mist clouded me, in the first few seconds, there as a slight feeling of disorientation. It was so small and unnoticeable, other people woud dismiss it for a few seconds of feeling lightheaded, but once I knew what it was and what to look for, seeing the truth became easier.

Suddenly, the one-eyed creepy, possibly, child abductors, turned into Cyclopes that were sent to check up on us on by our dad, or felt our power and recognized us as their siblings and wanted to take a look.

The world was suddenly a dangerous unfamiliar place, and the idiom 'Be careful what you wish for' vividly came to mind. Now that I'd gotten what I wanted, now that I could see through the mist, it was practically impossible to erase the things I saw, and I wasn't sure I liked what I found. I had to admit that I was always one of those people who secretly thought that ignorance could be bliss. Now that I could see what was out there, Percy's books and what happened in them was never far from my mind.

I knew what was coming, and it worried me. While it didn't seem like a big deal at first, and I didn't really care one way or another because Percy was just a character in a book, and it turned out okay in the end anyway, things were different now. He wasn't just the 'Percy Jackson from that books series about the Olympians' anymore. He was my Percy. My brother; my twin.

Initially I wanted to live my new life to the fullest and as danger free as I could. I didn't particularly want to have anything to do with any of the gods apart from my father. I seriously lacked the patience to deal with adults acting like small children. But I would suck it up and deal with it if the alternative meant abandoning Percy to shoulder that responsibility on his own.

He survived in the end, yes. But I remember reading the books and thinking that Percy Jackson seemed like a lonely child. I don't even know why I had felt that way, exactly. Percy had friends, he had his mom and Tyson, he even had a girlfriend. Still, there was something about him that always set him apart from everyone else, something that made him look lonely to me. Maybe it was the prophesy or it could have been how everyone ultimately depended on him to save the day, I wasn't sure. What I did know was that I didn't want him to feel alone, not ever.

.

Ω

.

Understanding why Percy and I had to be separated didn't mean I had to like it. Time spent away from my brother was extremely difficult. The only good thing about it was how much more fun we had together, after being separated for an entire school year.

Mom would often rent a cabin in Montauk for a couple of days during the summer. Because our time to be together as a family was so limited, we spent every day as if it was our last. Running around the beach, playing in the ocean (which was the best feeling in the world) and generally just having fun.

I spent a lot of nights sneaking out of our cabin when my mom and Percy were sleeping, sitting on the beach talking to a father who wasn't there. I had no way of knowing if he was actually listening, but I enjoyed telling him about my life and about Percy and mom. Just filling him in on the crazy things Percy got up to when I wasn't there to keep him in line. Seriously, revolutionary war canon anyone? Fucking moron.

Percy and I had repeatedly asked our mom about our father, things like who he was and what he did. She told us he was lost at sea, which was kind of funny when I thought about it. Especially knowing the fact that if Percy and I had mad navigational skills on water, our dad probably knew it like the back of his hand. Lost at sea, my ass.

When I sat on the beach I often prayed to the sea to bring my daddy back to me because Percy and I needed him so much, and mommy missed him. So yeah, maybe it was kind of manipulative, knowing everything I knew about the situation, and the very real possibility my dad was actually listening to me, but I missed him. I wanted to see my dad and wasn't above using the 'orphan Annie is asking for her daddy to come back for her' angle. It didn't necessarily mean I sucked as a human being. It meant I would use any means at my disposal to get what I want. If I had to describe myself I would say I was morally flexible, which in my opinion, was a good quality to have in a person. Especially in this new world I was born in.

I sincerely doubted that I was going to have much trouble killing or maiming any asshole out to kill me or my brother. It wouldn't matter if they were monsters or fellow demigods. If they raised their weapons at my brother with the intention to hurt or kill, I would do my best to murder the fuck out of them. It probably should have worried me, how far I'd go to make sure the people I loved were save, but in all honestly, I was simply relieved. At least there would be no hysterical 'oh god, I killed him while defending my life, I'm a monster' break downs for me.

I knew for certain that my father listened to my 'prayers' when he came to visit me one night while I was sitting on the beach, watching the waves, thinking about how fast time seemed to fly by.

"Hello," a voice I would recognize under any circumstances said awkwardly behind me. I froze in surprise and a lot of panic but tried to suppress my feelings as best as I could. Excited or not, it would be beyond stupid to say or do anything that could reveal my secrets to him.

"Hi," I said softly, turning to give my father a hesitant smile. It took a lot of effort to hide the excitement I felt at finally seeing him again. I hadn't thought I'd see him until Percy returned the lightning bolt back to Zeus. This was such a surprise; a good one.

He stepped forward and I studies him carefully. His beautiful eyes, his warm smile, the way he looked at me as if I was the most precious thing in his world. In him I could see how Percy would look like in the future. We both resembled our father very much, the black hair and sea green eyes being one of our more distinctive features. I knew I would grow up to be a beautiful woman, but it was still strange for me to look in the mirror and not see my usual brown eyes, and pretty smile with dimpled cheeks, looking back at me. In my previous life I was satisfied with being pretty but always wished I could have been stunning. In this life I was stunning but other than counting my beauty as another weapon in my arsenal, I didn't really care about it one way or another.

My father interrupted my intense study of him by deliberately coughing to gain my attention. He quirked an eyebrow, and nodded at the patch of sand beside me, silently asking me permission to sit next to me.

I suppressed a blush at being caught blatantly staring and allowed my smile to grow in intensity as I nodded my assent.

"Sure, my sand is your sand," I joked. "Only not really 'cause it's not actually mine."

The corner of his mouth curled up in a faint smile. "It's not?" he asked, eyes dancing with hidden mirth as he sat himself beside me on the beach. "Who does it belong to then?"

I shrugged casually. "Depends on who you ask, I guess."

He turned his face towards me and I could feel his eyes on me, taking me in. "And if I'm asking you?"

I tilted my head as if in contemplation, and after a few seconds nodded decisively. "The god of the sea, definitely." I probably shouldn't have said that, but I couldn't stop myself. I was the kind of person that liked to live dangerously impulsive, no matter how many plans I made.

"Poseidon?" he asked, startled at my answer, but also intrigued. "You believe in him?"

"Poseidon? Well... Maybe. I was named after his mother." I could still feel the intensity of his gaze on my face, but I tried acting as casual as I could. I could tell I surprised him very much, but that was the fun part as far as I was concerned.

"Rhea," he murmured softly.

"Yeah," I said trying to sound surprised. "How'd you know?"

"I've studied Greek mythology extensively," he answered, wearing faint traces of amusement on his face. "Why are you out here this time of night, aren't you a little young?" he asked curiously, changing the subject. "And why are you talking to me? Didn't your mother teach you not to talk to strangers?" he added sternly.

I sighed softly doing my best to swallow the laugh that bubbled up my throat at the cute sight my father made as he tried to be parental.

"I was praying to the sea god actually," I sighed softly, turning my eyes away from my father to look at the ocean. I turned back to look at my father when he stayed silent, and startled when I found him studying me with the intensity of a painter looking at his best work.

"About what?" he asked curiously.

I could answer in a lot of different ways, I could even decline to answer and it wouldn't be strange. In reality my father was petty rude asking a stranger at the beach what they were praying for. But since his appearance pretty much proved he listened to my prayers, he already knew what I prayed about anyway. What harm could it do to confirm my hopes and dreams.

"I'm asking him to bring back my father." this was the best answer I could give him without being rude or lying, which I really didn't want to do to my father.

"Where did he go?" he asked, his voice hidden with unidentified emotions.

"I'm not really sure." I shrugged. "My mom says he's lost at sea, so I figured I'd ask the god of the sea for some help. I'm hoping he'll send him home."

I heard rather than saw my father swallow heavily. "How long has he been gone?"

"Not long after I was born, I think."

And there he went again looking at me like I held all the answers to every mystery in the world in my hands. I quickly looked back to the ocean, wanting to hide my eyes from him.

"That seems like a long time," he commented casually, but with a heavy undertone. "Most people would have given up by now."

I turned back to my father and gave him a long steady look. "I don't give up," I said, voice laced with steel. I turned my eyes back to the ocean and watched the waves crash on the sand. "I'll keep praying," I sighed, and since I was already playing with fire, why not just bring in the explosives too. "He'll come back to me sooner or later, I know it."

"You do?" My father asked softly.

"Yes," I nodded, giving him a serious look. "My father loves us very much, he'll come back as soon as he's able."

"How do you know he loves you?" he asked almost desperately. "You haven't seen him since you were baby. You were too young to remember anything."

He was giving himself away. If I hadn't remembered anything or knew exactly who he was I would have thought nothing of it, but since I did remember...

"I'm not sure," I shrugged. "I just know. I've always known. I can feel it, how much he loves me and my brother."

He couldn't seem to take his eyes of me. "What about your brother? Does he feel the same?"

"Percy has this warm feeling in his chest whenever he thinks about dad. And he thinks he remembers something about a smile..." I trailed off distractedly. "He's starting to get angry at dad for not being there, though. Ever since..." ever since mom met smelly Gabe, but it wasn't like I was going to tell him that. He'd probably smite the fucker with his godly powers, which I certainly wouldn't mind. It would defeat the purpose of him being in our lives though. My mother sacrificed enough by having to touch that bastard, I wasn't going to let her efforts be in vain. That being said, the second he even thought about hitting her or Percy, I'd arrange a fatal accident.

"...It doesn't really matter. He's never been very patient," I said wryly. "He'll change his mind when dad comes back, I'll make sure of it."

My father stayed silent his face wiped of any trace of emotions. "You have a lot of faith in your father," he finally said thoughtfully. Ah crap, was I coming on too strong? Yeah, probably. Ask me if I cared.

"I guess I do," I said carefully. Not really, I didn't have faith in anything to be honest. But who needed faith when you knew that future?

"Sometimes people don't have a choice in things, Rhea. Perhaps your father wants to be with you and your brother, but something is keeping him away, circumstances beyond his control."

I smiled brightly at my father knowing that was exactly the case. "I know. That's why I'm praying for divine intervention."

I wanted to know what he was thinking so badly. His face was completely blank while he looked at me. Then it seemed to become animated, like he just put on a mask. "You're very smart for someone your age," he said softly, changing the subject after giving me with a butter-melting smile.

I returned the smile, causing my father's smile widen enough to make his eyes crinkle in the corners. "What can I say, I'm prodigious."

He snorted involuntarily. "I just bet you are." he shook his head disbelievingly muttering something under his breath about sounding too damn much like his pompous little brother, making me blanch in horrified shock. I so did not want to be compared to Zeus.

My father and I sat on the beach for another twenty minutes before he suddenly stood up and reached out his hand to me. "Come," he said hoisting me up as soon as I gave him my hand. "It's getting late, your mother will worry if she wakes up to find you gone."

I sighed knowing he was right, but not wanting our time together to end. He silently walked me back to my cabin but I could practically feel his reluctance. He didn't want this to end any more than I did.

When we reached the door to my cabin he smiled sadly. "Don't talk to strangers, Rhea, next time it could be someone dangerous."

"Alright," I said hoarsely around the lump in my throat.

He grinned and patted me on the head. "Alright, go inside now, you need your sleep."

"It was nice talking to you," I said, wanting to prolong the moment.

"It was wonderful to talk to you, too, sweetheart," his warm smile had an edge of sadness to it. "Now go inside, you need your sleep."

"Okay," I said softly swallowing back the disappointment. "Goodnight..."

He smiled one last time and walked away. I wanted with everything that I had to call him back, to beg him not to leave. I wanted to at least hug him, but I did nothing. I only turned around and unlocked the door to the cabin.

"Oh, and Rhea? Don't stop praying. You never know when someone listens and decides to answer your prayers, little Princess."

I turned quickly to look at my father but by then he had already disappeared.

I grinned brightly when I though about what he said. He did listen and answer my prayers. He thought I didn't know what he meant by that, but I did.

I chuckled happily. "Awesome!" I breathed before turning back to the cabin and stepping inside.

Suddenly I couldn't wait for the Lightning Bolt to be stolen.

The first time around Percy didn't have me to lessen his burden. This time around things were going to change. I had a lot of knowledge about the future and no scruples about using it to my advantage. I was going to help my brother while wearing Draco Malfoy's signature smirk on my face. This was going to be so much fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I don't want her to be a Mary Sue, ever. so please let me know if you detect Mary Sue tendencies and they will be eradicated
> 
> If you see any mistakes please let me know.
> 
> I have seen a lot of my favorite authors do this so I figured I'd give it a try. I'll ask a question, you'll answer, and I'll give you my answer next update along with another question. I'd like to get to know my readers if you guys don't mind.
> 
> Question: What is the best Percy Jackson story you've ever read?


	3. Super Powered Hot Chick

I dreamed I was inside the eye of a hurricane. Above me were clear skies and I could feel the gentle touch of a warm summer breeze ruffling my hair and clothes.

This gentle picture did nothing to quell the dread in my stomach at the sight of the eerie calm surrounding me, and the pervasive smell of ozone permeating the air. I could see lightning flashing in the distance and hear thunder booming at intervals.

I startled when I heard the sound of static, like an out of tune radio. I looked around confusedly and froze when a familiar song began to play.

'Tick tock on the wall, could this be my wake up call  
hiding underneath the sheets I wait for life to come to me  
think it's time I break these patterns systematic 'comes a habit  
am I strong enough to believe'

I knew this song very well, but it was from my old life. One of my favorites. I tried finding it but it didn't exist in my new life.

The sky that seemed so calm and cloudless before changed into a foreboding shade of grey.

'maybe I haven't cried enough tears  
maybe I haven't laughed out loud  
maybe I-'

The song stopped abruptly followed by a crashing sound, as if someone picked up the radio and threw it against a wall. I turned to the sound and nearly fell back in shock when I found myself face to face with Poseidon.

"Soon, Child. Soon." my father said softly before everything went black.

I woke up with my heart pounding in my chest. This dream was not giving me the fuzzy happy feeling the dreams about my dad normally did. It probably had something to do with the fact that I was pretty fucking sure that it wasn't my dad. I didn't know why I thought that because he looked exactly like Poseidon, had the same voice even, but I just knew somehow that it wasn't him. It felt more like someone was trying to send me a message and thought I'd be more receptive if the messenger wore my father's face. That meant that whoever was behind it was probably an enemy, or at the very least, an asshole trying to manipulate me.

"Fuck," I sighed, tiredly rubbing my eyes.

I hadn't felt this exhausted in a long time and knowing it was caused by someone deliberately messing with my sleep was enough to piss me off. It was the fifth nightmare I had this week alone, and I wondered how long they intended to keep interrupting my sleep. In all honesty I wasn't even sure if I should be calling it a nightmare since it didn't have the usual monster, manic killer, or lightning storm, trying to end me. There wasn't even any blood. Still, the feeling of dread in my stomach and the pounding of my heart wouldn't let me ignore it easily.

I looked up when my roommate shifted and mumbled in her sleep. "I'm walking on needles!"

I couldn't help but snort. I only wished I was dreaming about needles. I loved my dad, really, and I missed him very much and couldn't wait for the day I could finally meet him again, but that didn't mean I liked seeing him play the lead-role in my creepy-ass dreams. Especially not if it was someone using his face to send me a message. A very confusing, probably incomplete one, but a message nonetheless.

"Oh, I so have a bad feeling about this." I groaned softly.

I was already on edge without someone using my dreams as if they were a supernatural voice mail. The last two years had been very difficult for me, and it was only recently that I felt even a little reassured. From the second I was born into my new life and had started making plans, I had always told myself not to assume things. Just because it seemed like I knew things about the new life I was born in, just because I'd read it in a book or seen it in a movie, didn't mean it was what would happen. I hadn't known I failed miserably until I was twelve years old and eagerly waited for the signs that meant I would soon meet my father again. The strange weather, Percy's dreams, Grover's appearance in Percy's life. I waited eagerly and was beyond disappointed when our thirteenth birthday came and went without any of those things happening.

I couldn't help but feel lost. I was so certain events would play out like they did in the books, I hadn't even seriously considered that they wouldn't. Yes, when I tried to caution myself not to assume things I thought briefly about the possibility of being reborn in the movie universe, but secretly dismissed it. I had been so certain, so when nothing happened as it should have it made me feel uncomfortable. Out of my depth, even.

I had two years to adapt to the way things were, and that my new life would be nothing like the books, and had just started to accept that fact when I read one of Percy's monthly letters while drinking a glass of Fanta and almost choked when I read about his new friend called Grover, his new favorite teacher Mr. Brunner, and Mrs. Dodds, the pre-algebra teacher that hated his guts and would blame him for global warming if she could find a way to make it stick.

I felt like the rug was pulled from under me. Again. The worst part was still not knowing whether the next few months would turn out like the books, the movies, a combination of both, or something altogether different. It worried me, not knowing what was truly going on. I didn't know how I was going to protect myself and my brother from all the different threats converging on us, both known and unknown. I tried very hard to reassure myself that other people had lived their entire lives fine without ever knowing what would happen next, but I couldn't help but feel that other people weren't about to be put smack-dab in the middle of a re-enactment of The Clash of the fucking Titans.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, tiredly rubbing my brow. Things were going to change soon. Even if I hadn't received Percy's letter or had the foreknowledge by reading the books and seeing the movie, I would've known anyway. I could practically feel it. Things were going to change and our peaceful, somewhat quiet, but boring life, would be no more.

It was it strange that even with all the uncertainty, I couldn't wait for it to start.

.

.

I woke up the next morning with a headache the size of Texas. I took an Advil hoping to ease the pain, but I knew it wouldn't help. It was the same every morning after a nightmare. I'd wake up with a headache that wouldn't go away no matter how many painkillers I took to get rid of the hellish pain. The headache would usually disappear around the time the pain grew so much I'd start contemplating hitting my head against a brick wall to distract myself from the agony.

It was like someone was trying to make sure I wouldn't forget about my nightmares. If they were they really shouldn't have bothered. The only thing my headache did was make it impossible to concentrate on school. The dreadful feeling in my gut was enough of a reminder of my creepy dream visitor.

I took a quick shower, ignored my roommate's banging on the door and demands that I 'hurry the hell up', dressed in my uniform and made my way to class. I decided to forgo breakfast like I'd done every morning after a nightmare. My stomach was honestly not up for it. Neither was my head.

"Yo, Jackson!" I cringed at the loud bellowing voice of my friend. "Wassupp!"

"Keep it down, idiot," I groaned cradling my head in my hands. "I have the mother of all headaches performing a drum solo in my cranium."

"What, again?" he asked more softly.

"Yep," I muttered, thankful he'd stopped yelling at the top of his longs.

He frowned concernedly," So this is like the third time this week alone, right?"

The fifth actually. "Yeah, so?" I asked uncomfortably.

"Are you sleeping alright?"

I hesitated slightly. "No, not really."

"So you had a nightmare? What was it about?" he asked eagerly, studying me carefully.

"Nothing important," I replied, trying but failing to sound casual.

I really didn't want to talk about it, least of all to Dag. He was a good guy, really, the best friend a girl could ask for. Especially if you considered the fact that I didn't make friends easily - or at all as the case may be. But he was also a Satyr. I was pretty sure everything I told him would be reported back to Chiron.

"Look, Rhea, if you're having nightmares it's best if you talk to someone about it. I'm your friend, I only want to help."

This was one of the reasons I didn't want him to know about my nightmares. I knew he would just assume I was having demigod dreams, and he was probably right, but they were my dreams, private dreams. I didn't want him to report them to anyone else, which I knew he would.

"Nah, it's nothing to worry about, seriously."

"Alright, if you're sure," he said reluctantly. "I'm here if you wanna talk though."

I smiled warmly. "I know. Thanks, Dag, you're a good friend."

And he truly was. The problem was that he wasn't just talking to me as my friend. He was talking to me as the Satyr assigned to me by Chiron and possibly the 'Wine Dude' - but probably just Chiron. Dionysos wouldn't give a flying fuck whether any demigod, apart from his kids, lived or died.

"Anytime," he grinned brightly. "We need to get to class though," he said urgently when he looked around at the now empty halls.

"Aw crap," I groaned. "I can't be late again, especially not to Mr. Vogel's class. I think he might actually kill me this time."

Dag sighed resignedly. "You know this is all your fault."

I wanted to disagree, really I did, but then I'd be lying. I did have the unfortunate habit of always being late everywhere. It wasn't like it was on purpose or anything, it was just something I did. At first Dag tried to make sure we weren't late but he had discovered early on that time just had a mind of its own around me. It always seemed to fly, or slow down so much, it felt like the world was standing still. We'd be on our way somewhere with fifteen minutes to spare and the next moment we'd be late. We had no idea where the time went. Other times we'd be running to make it in time, only to arrive and find out we were the first people there. It was weird and irritating as hell, and also, completely out of my hands.

We arrived at our classroom looking like we were about to walk to our deaths. "It was nice knowing you, Jackson," Dag joked weakly.

"Yeah, you too, Dagwood," I replied, trying but failing to smile. Before I could even scrape up enough courage to open the door to the classroom it flew open.

"How nice of you to join us, Mr. Dagwood, Miss. Jackson," Mr. Vogel sneered. "Are you done with your conversation, I wouldn't want me teaching this class stand in the way of whatever important issue you were discussing."

I winced. Oh he was pissed off alright. Damn, he was going to give me so much detention I probably wouldn't be able to breathe in fresh air for a long time.

"No, Sir, we're good." as soon as the words left my mouth I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.

"Good, you say? I don't think you'll continue to use that description when I tell you what your punishment will be for being late. Again. You might want to hold on to that 'good' feeling. Soon you won't even remember what it means."

I could actually hear Dag whimper, and honestly, I wanted to do the same. He was just being mean. I mean, so yeah, I've basically been late to pretty much all of his classes this year. And okay, he did kinda warn me that I wouldn't like the consequences if it happened again, but he was taking it a bit far. Maybe.

We quickly took our seats not wanting to make him any more angry than he already was. I seriously didn't need anymore detentions on my record, my mother would worry herself sick. She'd probably think I was trying to imitate Percy or something, which I so wasn't. My brother was usually kicked out of school once a year, and his grades were crap. I could sympathize. Being dyslexic sucked ass. I was just lucky I already went through school in my past life. I may not have graduated but that was more a mistake on my part than an inability to pass.

I missed my brother fiercely. Since we only saw each other during summer vacations and school breaks, we tried to keep in contact by sending each other e-mails whenever we could get our hands on some computer time. Being dyslexic and writing letters was a fucking nightmare. Sometimes I just wanted to cry when I thought about how I'd get nauseous by simply thinking about writing Percy a letter. My hands would start shaking, my palms would sweat, and there were times where I had to do all I could to stop myself from throwing up. I knew it was probably worse for my brother. Percy and I would occasionally have webcam conversations, but it was very rare to find us both behind a computer at the same time.

To Percy's everlasting irritation our mom wouldn't buy us cell phones. I remembered that it was dangerous for demigods to use cell phones, something about it was like lighting a beacon for monsters telling them 'Here I am, come and get me'. My dad probably warned my mom about it. I wasn't sure about land-lines, but I avoided them as much as I could, not willing to take that chance. Percy didn't know about any of it so to him it seemed completely unfair. He loved our mom very much, but he had no qualms about questioning things if they didn't make sense to him. Knowing more about the situation than he did, I understood why some things had to be the way they were, to my mother's everlasting relief and Percy's obvious irritation.

I sighed mentally thinking about the madhouse our life was about to become.

The winter solstice had come and gone so Zeus' Master Bolt and Hades' Helm were already stolen by Luke, if everything went the way it was suppose to. Percy would soon be confronted about the theft by one of the Furies. He had sent me detailed e-mails about his hated pre-algebra teacher and how she'd always favor the stupid Nancy Bobofit. Soon things were going to change for us and I dreaded it as much as anticipated it. I couldn't wait to see my father again, but I could do without the quest for the Lightning bolt. I fucking hated lightning, it literally killed me. It went against every instinct I had to go look for the most powerful one in existence. It was like I was actively searching out my own death. Not exactly something I would willingly do.

I tensed when I felt someone staring at me and almost cringed when I looked at Mr. Vogel, expecting to find him staring at me with his glare of doom. In my mind his glare of doom was comparable to the feeling Harry Potter had whenever a Dementor was near, or how Frodo felt when he was facing the Nazgul. It had the ability to reduce me to a whimpering mess on the floor crying for my mommy. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when wasn't paying me any particular attention and looked around to find who was staring at me. I smiled when I saw Dag watching me with a small frown that quickly turned into a smile when he noticed me looking back.

Silas Dagwood, or Dag as he liked to called, turned up in my life two weeks after Percy first wrote to me about Grover. At first I was a little suspicious about the timing, but when he never asked me any questions about my family, I reluctantly let go of my wariness around him, and accepted his friendship. Being stuck in the body of a fourteen year old girl made it hard to make friends my own age. It was difficult because the fourteen year old in me wanted to make friends and talk about boys and do other things girls my age did. But the older twenty-seven year old - or forty-one if I wanted to get technical about it - didn't feel comfortable hanging out with a bunch of fourteen year old kids. It was frustrating, spending time with them. They seemed so slow and childish to me, and though I would never decline any opportunity to gossip about hot guys, my definition of hot did not include sixteen year old pimply faced boys younger than my previous incarnation's kid brother. (It was also somewhere around that time that I first figured out my mission of getting laid was going to be much harder than I thought it would at first.)

So meeting Dag and becoming his friend was a stroke of good luck in my opinion. He was also an adult undercover as a child, so that made things a lot easier. Missing my brother and feeling lonely had a lot to do with accepting his friendship despite knowing he was basically sent to spy on me. In the end it didn't really matter. He either knew who I was, or didn't. It wasn't all that important. Even if anyone suspected my father was Poseidon, they still couldn't do anything about it until after I was claimed, and they knew for certain either way, broken oath or not.

I was pretty sure he knew I was a demigod, but I don't think he knew, or even suspected, whose daughter I was. I hadn't seen Chiron around anyway which he would have been if they suspected I was a child of the big three, even if only to visit and see me in person if he was too busy taking care of my brother. And unlike Percy, whose power I could practically feel churning under his skin, my power was calm and almost undetectable. I didn't think it was because I was less powerful than Percy. In all honesty, I probably was, but I also had a much bigger handle on my power than he did.

I had lived without this power inside of me for almost twenty-eight years and I also had the advantage of knowing what it was. It took a lot of time and effort, years worth almost, but I had learned to suppress it, or maybe calm it down would be the more appropriate term to use. My powers always felt like the ocean to me, and all I did was keep a tight grip on it. It was the only thing I was comfortable doing with my powers.

It would've been awesome if I could have practiced, maybe even have an advantage on my brother and many other demigods, but the reality of things was very different. Had I done something other than learning how to suppress my power I probably would have died many times over. My power calls to monsters, It would be like Isabella Swan slitting her wrists and then deciding to take a stroll around the Cullen house to see how many vampires would try playing 'suck the bottle' with her jugular. As it was, I had to be careful with the little training I did do.

In the beginning I was so scared I was going to attract Zeus or Hades' attention towards me and Percy, causing our deaths. I worried constantly but knew something had to be done. Two children of Poseidon, one destined to be one of his most powerful - if not the most powerful mortal child Poseidon ever fathered, and another child with the potential to go either way, living under one roof was just asking for trouble. Percy didn't know anything about our heritage so it fell to me to protect our family.

I figured out early on that our powers were tied to our emotions. Whenever Percy was truly angry I could almost feel this heaviness in the room. I could practically taste the salty smell of the sea, but a furious, roaring sea, not a calm one. Sometimes when he was angry enough and I closed my eyes, I could almost imagine standing on a wooden raft in the middle of a stormy ocean. I didn't know if it was because I was in essence a child of the sea or not, but I thought it felt magnificent. I imagine it would feel terrifying to other people, but to me it felt like being surrounded by my father's loving embrace - like home. It was hard not to piss my brother off on purpose just so I could feel that good. The only thing stopping me was the danger it posed to him when others would undoubtedly notice.

I think I did as well as could be expected in the end, without anyone to guide me. I didn't get us killed, that was a big plus in my book, and my awesome fishy powers were somewhat under wraps. I couldn't ask for more. It would serve me well later on, when everyone kept their eyes on Percy as the big threat, I could slip in unnoticed from behind. That was in essence the part I had appointed to myself; back up.

I had no will to change things for the better, had no grand design to save the world or my 'favorite character'. I only cared about my family. I would be Percy's support, make sure he wasn't alone, and always place him first. One of the things that stayed with me from my past life, besides my strange addiction to Fanta and the unhealthy and admittedly somewhat inappropriate relationship I had with it, was my complete and unwavering loyalty to people I deemed worthy.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't blind loyalty, never that. But as long as Percy was loyal to me, he would have mine, even if he was trying to take over the fucking world. I'd probably talk him out of it because it was wrong, and a lot of work, but I'd follow him if it was something he really wanted to do, and had a fairly good reason for doing it. That was just the way things had always been for me. I was loyal to the core but I took care where to place my loyalty. Percy had secured mine when he saved me from the snake; it didn't mean I wouldn't kick his ass if he was doing something that went against who he was, though. Sometimes people needed to have some sense bitch-slapped into them. I would gladly slap him silly, if it ever came to that.

I startled when Mr. Vogel cleared his throat giving me his glare of doom. I eeped and quickly payed attention. I might have been re-born with all my memories intact, would soon go out in the world to fight monsters and Titans, was the daughter of a god, had a brother who would end up saving the world, on more than one occasion, but that didn't mean Mr. Vogel didn't scare the ever loving shit out of me.

.

.

"I hate Mr. Vogel," Dag groaned after he read the detention note for the fifth time. I didn't blame him, I did a lot of re-reading too, thinking it had to be a mistake. Sadly, we really had received that much detention. My worry about ever seeing the light of day again, were long gone, I was now pretty fucking sure I wouldn't get to see it anytime soon.

"You hate what you fear," I told Dag sagely trying but failing to sound wise. My mother was way better at that than I was. Probably because I was anything but wise.

"I'm not afraid of him," he denied instantly, trying to sound brave.

I raised my eyebrows incredulously. "Who the hell are you trying to fool? I've seen you almost crap your pants whenever you think he's gong to call on you to answer a question in class."

"Yeah, well, screw you, Rhea. I don't remember seeing you do any better." he spluttered indignantly.

"So, I don't remember claiming anything different. I'm not ashamed to admit he scares me to death. Just one look from him gives me the chills. I don't know what the hell he was thinking becoming a school teacher. He should have just become a prison guard instead, especially with the way he goes about giving detention."

"Ugh," Dag said shuddering visibly. "Don't remind me," he muttered looking forlornly at the detention note still clutched in his hand.

"Don't worry about it. We'll just do the detention and things will die down again. You should seriously consider not walking with me to class though. You know how weird time runs around me. This is not gonna stop, I don't care how many detentions he assigns me. It's not like it's a choice or anything."

Dag looked thoughtful for a moment, before snickering amusedly. "Maybe you can convince them it's a handicap."

I snorted. "Yeah right, they're not that moronic. Although, how you convinced them there's something wrong with your legs just so you can get out of P.E still remains a mystery to me."

Like Grover, Dag walked with crutches to hide his hooves. It was one of the things that made me realize he was a Satyr, that and his unhealthy obsessions with my empty Fanta cans. We actually fit together pretty well with they way I drooled over the Fanta while he drooled over the can.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dag denied, eyes wide with worry. "I told you, I have a muscle disease-"

"Whatever, dude," I interrupted casually, "Say what you want, I've seen you running like a fucking track star when you're worried about not making it in time to Mr. Vogel's class."

"Still don't know what you're talking about," he replied, still adamantly denying everything. Not that I ever thought he would come out and say it. That would've been stupid and reckless on his part.

"Right," I scoffed, "I don't think that's gonna work for me, trying to say it's a handicap. It would've been great if I could have though."

"Yeah," Dag sighed wishfully, all too willing to let go of the subject of his legs.

"Anyway, I gotta go. I reserved some time behind the computer to talk to my older brother, if I'm really lucky I'll get to actually see to him this time." it really had been too long since I last saw Percy. This separation thing sucked hairy ass.

"Oh."

He sounded surprised. It was probably because this was the most information I had ever volunteered about my brother without prompting.

"See you later, Dag."

"See ya, Rhea. Say hi to your big brother."

"Will do," I smiled widely before making my way to the computer room.

.

.

Although I had told Dag I was hoping to see my brother, I had very little hope. We rarely saw each other, I was always a bit too late or too early, time truly was my curse in this life. So when I logged on and saw that Percy was online, it was a big surprise. I didn't even have time to marvel at the unusual stroke of good luck before he invited me for a webcam conversation. I eagerly accepted, nervously fixing my hair as if I was going on a first date.

"Rhea."

He sounded strangely...relieved, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a while. This was worrying to me. Despite everything against him Percy was a good kid, a happy kid. In fact he was seldom unhappy, and when he was it was mostly because of someone else. Like how he hated our mother having to put up with stinky Gabe when she deserved so much better.

"Percy," I grinned cheerfully. "How have you been?"

He leaned in, bringing his face closer to the webcam and exhaled loudly out of his nose. "Paranoid. Insane, maybe? I'm not sure."

Oooo-kay? There was clearly something going on there. "What's wrong?" I asked, feeling slightly anxious.

"Rhea, something weird is going on, and I'm talking Invasion of the Body snatchers weird here, not the usual one-eyed stalker weird."

Alright, definitely something going on with him. "What happened?" I asked urgently, "What do you need?"

"I need the second opinion of someone who I know won't lock me up in a nut house or worse, turn me into one of the pod people. The worst thing is...I think Grover's in on it. I'm not really sure I can trust him because I know he's lying to me, but on the other hand he looks like he really doesn't wanna lie, and is feeling really guilty about it. You know?" he rambled in a very un-Percy like way.

"No. No I don't." okay that was a big fat lie. I was starting to have an idea what this was about. "Take a deep breath, calm down and tell me what happened."

"Yes...okay...deep breath...I can do that."

My brother was clearly freaking out. This was strange, he didn't seem so freaked out in the books. Was there more going on than I initially though? Fuck. I hated this. Things were too different, we were fourteen years old instead of twelve or sixteen. I assumed I knew what he was talking about but in all honesty, Hades could have come himself instead of one of the Furies. My knowledge of how events were going to unfold was worth shit with the way things kept shifting around me.

I studied my brother carefully, noticing he was still busy taking a deep, very deep breath. I could only hope he wasn't going to pass out with the way he was behaving.

"That's good," I said trying to calm him down. "Why don't you take another deep breath just in case, and start your story."

"Okay," he exhaled heavily. "The first weird thing that happened was water coming out of a fountain in the form of a hand to grab Nancy Bobofit and pull her into the fountain. Crazy right? I know, but I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who saw, and for some reason, no one seems to remember but me - and Grover, but he's lying about it."

"Alright... So the water came out of the fountain...by itself?"

"Yes!" he yelled desperately. "I swear, it was like magic or something. Normally I'd say she deserved it, I mean she was being so obnoxious even the water took offence and tried to drown her. But there was something... I don't know, it was weird - weirder than usual I mean."

"That is strange. I've seen a couple of freaky things, we both have, but I haven't seen water act like it has a will of its own."

"I know," he replied softly, thoughtful almost. "It was weird 'cause I was really angry, Rhea, and in that moment I wanted to punch her so bad..." he trailed off, still looking very deep in thought. He looked up at the webcam, making eye contact, "But you believe me right?" he asked hopefully.

I sighed deeply. Of course I believed him, hell I knew exactly what happened. I hated lying to him, so much. Sadly, that was just the way things had to be between us. I would never tell him about being re-born, or about the things I knew.

"Yeah, I believe you." his grin was blinding, his eyes smiling warmly in happiness and relief. I was the worst sister in the entire fucking world. "But this still doesn't mean I believe that fish was actually talking to you though," I grinned hoping to light my mood by bringing up happy memories. "I'll figure out who gave you drugs and kick both your asses."

I almost burst out in laughter just remembering his face when he came running out of the ocean like the hounds of hell were on his tail, screaming about talking fish. I almost pissed myself laughing at him. I knew it was probably true, but seriously, his face when he tried to convince me he met a talking fish was priceless.

"I wasn't doing drugs, honestly!" he yelped indignantly. "I know it sounds weird but I swear to God it talked to me."

I shook my head slowly, "Uh-huh, still don't believe it."

"Well at least you believe me about Nancy, no one else does."

"I believe you, now tell me the rest."

"So the second weird thing; Mrs. Dodds, please, please tell me you remember her?" he begged desperately.

"Your pre-algebra teacher right, the one that hates your guts?" it was exactly what I thought it was about. I hoped it would be at least somewhat similar to the books.

"Yes! Thank God you remember her!" he exclaimed with relief. "So Mrs. Dodds, you know the teacher from hell, turned into an actual freaking creature from hell and tried to kill me." he didn't look good. He was very pale and his sea-green eyes seemed too large for his face, as he waited for my reaction. I could only imagine what he thought I'd say, but he almost sagged in relief when denial wasn't my response.

I knew this would happen, well expected it anyway, or something very similar at the very least. But now that it actually had I was...furious. How dare that fucking bitch try to kill my brother?! Then came the panic and images of Percy all alone having to defend himself against that hellish freak. I would annihilate her for trying to harm my brother. The rage that overcame was surprising to say the least. I wanted to find her and tear her limb from limb, show her not to fuck with a child of the sea. I wanted to... I shook my head dazedly, trying to clear it of the rage. I only half succeeded. What the fuck was that? Why was I suddenly overcome with desire to bathe in her blood. Ugh disgusting.

Shock and horror must have shown on my face because Percy nodded in agreement, "Yeah, so not kidding. And as if that wasn't weird enough, Mr. Brunner came wheeling in, threw a pen at me and told me to kill it with said pen. Isn't that the weirdest thing ever? No, it really isn't 'cause the pen he threw at me turned into a freaking sword and I killed her with it. only there wasn't any blood 'cause she turned into a sand castle and...and... Rhea, Sis, I think I'm going out of my mind here," he rambled, sounding panicked.

"I know it happened, I mean it did happen, but as soon as she was dead, destroyed, turned into sand, whatever, everything changed. Suddenly I was alone, no Mr. Brunner, no Mrs. Dodds, no sword, nothing. The only thing I could think of was find Mr. Brunner and ask what the hell was going on, so I did. But then when I found him he was all like 'Percy my boy, you've come to return the pen you borrowed.' Only I hadn't borrowed anything from him, especially not a pen that could transform into a sword, because first of all; what the hell would I need pen for, to write down notes about a museum trip I hadn't wanted to go on? And secondly; if I was suddenly overcome with the insane urge to write down why the all powerful Titan Kronos needed a prescription for glasses because he couldn't tell the difference between a rock and his youngest kid, I wouldn't have needed to borrow a pen 'cause I already had one in my pocket."

"So he was lying," I summarized.

"Yes."

"And he was expecting you to buy it because...?"

"Well he obviously thinks I'm a moron," he pointed out dryly.

"Obviously," I drawled. "Seems like he's got your number."

"Oh, shut up." he smirked, "Anyway, I clearly didn't buy it so he must have been reading the wrong kind of phone book."

"What happened then?"

"Nothing. Not really anyway. Grover keeps lying, which is so obvious, I'm almost embarrassed for him. And the entire world is acting like there was no Mrs. Dodds, like she never even existed. Everyone keeps giving me these looks like there's something wrong with me when it's clear to see they were the ones that got whammied by the alien pod-people."

I snorted involuntarily. "Seriously, you're blaming this on aliens?" of all the things he could have used to explain away everything that had been happening around him, he went on the alien route. Un-fucking-believable.

"Yeah, what the hell else should I think?"

"Witches, and magic maybe? Hell, you could've gone with drugs that induced hallucinations, but aliens?"

He sighed exasperatedly. "How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not doing drugs. Seriously Rhea, the fish was talking to me."

"Yes, and I'm sure whatever it had to say was very interesting, but unless it told you what to do in the unlikely event your school was taken over by aliens, I think we'll put the talking fish in the 'Don't bring it up 'cause people will think I'm insane' box for the time being."

"Fine," he almost pouted, "whatever. Does that mean you believe me about the pod people though? I gotta admit it's unlikely, but what else could it be?"

"Many things. But yes, I believe you. I'm not sold on your alien theory, but it's all we've got, for now anyway."

He smiled brightly, making me smile back without even wanting to. His smile was irritatingly infectious like that. "So what do we do? What's the plan?"

"It's clear that Mr. Brunner is at the center of this, do you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess. He did give me the pen...that turned into a sword...and then told me to kill my teacher from hell with it." he frowned thoughtfully, "I think that's the weirdest thing I've ever said."

I snorted, "I very much doubt that Mr. 'I can talk to fish'."

"If I have to put it in the 'Don't bring it up 'cause people will think I'm insane' box, then it's only fair that you do too, Rhea," he teased lightly. "So you think Mr. Brunner is behind all this, huh? Grover too, I think. There's something between them, something..."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Are you trying to tell me Grover and Mr. Brunner are together...like having sex, together?"

Alright that image needed to be bleached out of my mind immediately. I didn't know whether I should laugh my ass off, or...well honestly...laugh my ass off.

Percy's face contorted in disgust. "Oh that's nasty," he exclaimed. "What the hell are you doing saying things like that? You shouldn't even know about things like sex. And why did you have to put that picture in my head, I need brain bleach, lots and lots of brain bleach."

I chuckled amusedly. "I know about sex Percy."

"Well you shouldn't," he said firmly, his cheeks tinted red with embarrassment. "There should be a law that says so."

"You know about sex, don't you? Everyone our age knows about sex, it's only natural that I do too," I said still amused at my brother's over-protectiveness. In the future I could see it getting old very fast, especially if he tried to stop me in my quest of getting laid. But for now it was cute enough.

"Yeah, but you're my sister, that's completely different."

I snorted loudly an burst out in laughter. "I'll just let you keep your delusions for now Perseus, it'll be so much more fun to shatter them later."

"Don't call me Perseus!" he snapped reflexively. He was such an easy target to rile.

"Now tell me what you think I should do about this mess. I'm thinking of playing James Bond, maybe poke around a bit, but I'm not sure if I should." he scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "You know me, with the luck I have they'll catch me, turn me into one of them, and make me marry their king or something equally disturbing."

I smirked widely, knowing that if the situation was different, and there really were aliens instead of characters from Greek mythology running around, it probably would turn out that way. Percy could have some of the worst of luck sometimes.

"I don't think you should go 007, at least not while we know so little about what's going on, and especially not without me there to veto the most idiotic ideas you come up with. For the time being just observe. You said Grover is a bad liar, right?"

"The worse," he agreed. "I don't know if it's because he doesn't want to lie to me, or if he's just naturally that bad, but I can see right through him."

"Well there you go," I retorted with a smile. "You found your weak link. Just try not to let on that you know more than they think you do. Knowing you, you won't be able to restrain yourself for long," I teased, knowing how he would eventually blurt it out to Grover almost giving the poor Satyr a heart attack, "But try to use when you drop this information to your advantage, catch them off guard, but don't do anything stupid," I cautioned.

I knew he'd probably be fine, but I couldn't help but worry. This wasn't a book or movie anymore, after all, it was now the reality we lived in.

"Alright, I can do that," he agreed easily.

I smiled softly at my brother. "Good. Let me know what else you find out, I'll need to know in advance if I have to go find mom's old shot gun and come rescue you from an unwanted marriage."

Percy grinned widely. "Mom doesn't have a shotgun, Rhea."

"I know, I'm just saying-"

"-Be careful," he interjected, "Yeah, I get it."

"Good. So what else is new in the exciting life of Perseus Jackson?"

"Don't call me Perseus, Rhea!" he snapped before giving me a detailed description about what happened to Grover the last time they had Enchilada day at school.

I tried letting go of my worries while my brother filled me in about his life, but it was hard. All I could do to alleviate my worries was focus on the book future, and tell myself he would be fine. However, knowing how little was going according to plan, I was far from reassured.

Oh well, in the words of the great Faith Lehane 'Thank the gods I'm a hot chick with superpowers'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for all your reviews, they mean a lot. Please let me know what you think? I'm desperate for some feedback.
> 
> A lot of people weren't sure if I meant favorite Percy Jackson books, or fanfiction and gave me both, so I decided to do the same.
> 
> Answer: Favorite Percy Jackson book is The Last Olympian, and favorite fanfiction is Waking Up The Ghost by Perseia Jackson. It's an AU: Fem!Percy story. I quite like those, check it out if you're interested, and let me know what you think. I have a million people to talk about the books I like, but no one to talk to about the fanfiction stories I enjoy reading.
> 
> QUESTION: name your favorite Percy Jackson character (from both series) and tell me why he or she is your favorite. You can name more than one if you can't choose.


	4. Close To Home

The next couple of months went tortuously slow. Percy kept me posted on his situations by sending me e-mails. We hadn't managed to talk on the web-cam again, our luck was clearly gone. He wrote me about a conversation he overheard between Grover and Mr. Brunner, 'something about me dying' the idiot wrote. He was lucky I knew what the conversation was probably about or I would have been down there in a heartbeat carrying my non-existent shotgun.

Percy really needed to watch what he wrote in the letters he sent me before he scared me to death by actually giving me a heart attack.I wrote to him to be careful and stressed the importance of keeping a low profile. I also warned him to stop sneaking around before someone caught him and sold his virginal ass into slavery or marriage with the pod people king. He kept telling me not to worry, but still thought nothing of writing 'death' and 'me' in the same sentence.

Like I said; fucking idiot.

With the end of the school year fast approaching I was starting to feel nervous. Everything I'd been waiting for was finally on my door step, two seconds away from either knocking on my door, or kicking it down. And on top of everything else that was going on in my life, Dag was starting to act weird, or weirder than usual, at least.

"So...Jackson...have you noticed anything...weird...going on lately? With you, I mean?" he added hastily when I gave him a confused frown.

"No... Can't say that I have..." I replied slowly, honestly confused about what he was trying to say.

"So, no changes with your, um, body, or anything. There's nothing happening that wasn't before...maybe things going on around you, people acting differently...?" he choked awkwardly.

"Are you talking about puberty?"

At his panicked wide-eyed look I knew he wasn't but decided to continue this line of questioning anyway - the look on his face was too fucking funny to stop.

"Riding the crimson wave, growing hair in strange places...? Or are you talking about B.O? Seriously dude, is that what you mean with 'things going on around you, people acting differently'? Are you trying to tell me I smell bad or something?" I gave him my best 'you wounded me for life' look, knowing it was good enough to fool most people effortlessly.

"W-what?" he stammered. "No, that's not what I meant! Not at all! You smell lovely, h-honest. A little salty, maybe, nothing like the smell of a beautiful green forest, but with the way you throw insane amounts of salt on everything but your beloved Fanta that's to be expected. You still smell nice though, really. And I'm not sure what exactly a crimson wave is, but I wish you a lot of luck riding it, it sounds fun, maybe we could do it together sometime - I've always wanted to try surfing," he rambled breathlessly.

I managed to keep in the snort that would undoubtedly be followed by a symphony of laughter, barely. I turned my back towards him and put my hands on the lower half of my face, trying to hide it from view while simultaneously trying to keep my laughter from bursting out.

"I just meant...strange things. Maybe you suddenly have the strange urge to take things that don't really belong to you? Or the desire to learn how to play a musical instrument, or a fondness for sunbathing, and maybe, um, cows or grapes? Or you could want to build things...?"

Oh. That was what his weird questions were about. He was trying to figure out who my father was. I should have known what he was trying to do the second he asked me if I could see dead people. I figured he'd been watching The Sixth Sense too many times again. I was so used to having Dag around and hanging out with him there were times where I almost forgot he was here for a reason. It was funny that he never asked anything Poseidon or Zeus related. I found it ironic that he suspected Hades of breaking the oath while he was in fact the only one of his brothers that hadn't. I also had no idea I smelled of salt and wondered how exactly salt smelled and me by extension. It wasn't a bad small, at least, if Dag was to be believed. And he miraculously hadn't connected my salty smell to my sea-ruling father but attributed it to my love of salty food.

I stayed silent while I tried to pull myself together but didn't turn back towards Dag until I was fairly certain I wouldn't outright laugh in his face. It took a while, turning the situation even more awkward, but in the end I managed.

"No. I don't take things that don't belong to me," at least not unless I have a damn good reason, "I don't particularity enjoy sunbathing," I don't mind the sun, but I don't like sitting still for the sole purpose of getting a tan, "I've always wanted to play a musical instrument, but I'm too lazy to actually make an effort to learn," who wouldn't want to be a fucking guitar hero?

"I've always admired people who can build things from scratch," I continued after taking a deep breath, "But know better than to try building something myself because I'd undoubtedly fail epically," It was true, I loved Hephaestus because he could build the most amazing things. He was all kinds of awesome and I would have chosen to be his kid if the dude upstairs would have given me a choice,"And I don't have an inappropriate love for cows-," thank you very much for that image by the way. "- Or grapes. Since I've seen my fair share of Internet porn so I'm very much aware of what those chicks do with grapes, and though I haven't seen anything with cows, I did notice what they do with horses, and let me just tell you; Dude, no. Just, no."

"Oh..." Dag said slowly. "That's, um, good, that's good. Because, you know, grapes taste good, and cows are fun, but no one should love them...inappropriately," he said choking on the word while his ears reddened, "Because that would be bad."

"Alright," I smiled brightly. "I'm glad we got that sorted. I'm gonna take a shower now, 'cause I'm not sure I believe you about the not smelling bad part," I gave him one last bright smile before I walked away as fast as I could without making it seem like I was running, which I so was. I didn't even make it to my room before I started laughing so bad I almost peed myself.

He didn't ask me any weird questions after that - obviously too embarrassed to even try, but he didn't stop acting weird. The closer we came to leaving school for the summer the more he seemed to worry.

"What are your plans for the summer?" he asked three days before I was set to leave for home.

"Um, not sure. Hang out with my big brother, I guess," I shrugged casually. "Maybe my mom will take us somewhere before the summer ends, but with Gabe being his usual stingy bastard self, I highly doubt it."

My mother would probably take us to Montauk if everything went the way it was meant to go, not that they ever did. I couldn't wait.

"Gabe...that's your dad, right."

"No. Hell no. I told you, Dag, my dad's gone, has been most of my life. Gabe's just the dude my mom married 'cause she had the misguided notion that Percy and I needed a positive male influence in our lives." not a complete lie. Hell, if you squinted just right I was almost being truthful.

I snorted disdainfully still hating the fact that I had to put up with Gabe being in our lives, and knowing I couldn't do anything about it because it was a necessary evil. "And look how well that turned out. He showed me exactly what a man shouldn't be like." I shrugged casually, "I guess he served his purpose in the end, even if it wasn't in the way my mom intended."

As it was, my dad was the only positive male influence I ever had in this life, and all I ever had with him was the first year of my life and a thirty minute conversation more than a decade after that.

"I'm sorry I brought it up," Dag said softly, sounding very remorseful.

"Nah, don't worry about it," I replied softly, "It's not like it's your fault or anything. It's just a sore subject for me. You understand, right?"

"Yeah, I get it," he replied, eyes far away, as if he was thinking of something else.

"Why'd you wanna know anyway? Planning on visiting me this summer?" I grinned widely, hoping to change the subject.

"Actually, I was thinking more like the other way around," he said taking out a small card out of his back-pocket and handing it to me.

Silas Dagwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

Whoever ordered this cards was fucking evil. Seriously, the card was impossible to read without getting nauseous. Knowing that the person behind ordering them knew that the satyrs would be handing them out to dyslexic demigods only enforced my believe that they had to be a demon from the deepest parts of hell.

"Dude, I knew you were faking it with the whole 'I have a rare muscle disease' thing!" I exclaimed after swallowing back my nausea at having to read the card, and excitement at being handed an invitation to Camp Half-blood.

"What?" Dag yelped. "I'm not faking, Rhea, what gave you that idea?"

"Well how the hell do you manage to play soccer if you really do have a disease?" I asked making sure to look just confused enough to make it believable.

"I don't play soccer? Why would I want to ruin a perfectly good field of grass by running around on it like a maniac?" he asked offended.

"It says so here," I said pointing at the card he gave me. "Silas Dagwood, keeper. You're a goalie, right?"

"No I'm not!" he yelped in outrage, obviously still offended I thought he would do something so bad to a perfectly good patch of grass. Satyrs. Seriously, to them implying they did something 'bad' to nature was like saying 'yo mamma' to a mamma's boy.

"What the hell else would it mean?"

He sighed exasperatedly, "Look, Rhea, ignore what it says, okay?" he held up his hand to cut me off when I started protesting, "Just think about it, okay? I'd love to have you over this summer."

"Fine, fine, I'll let it go, and I'll think about visiting you too. I'll ask my mom and she'll probably say it's okay, but...can I bring my brother?"

Dag scratched the back of his neck, looking anything but comfortable, "Um, I actually thought it would be just us, you know. I mean I'm sure your brother is nice and all, but I just wanted to spend some time with you. Alone. You know, without your brother."

Well that answered that question. They didn't know Percy and I were related. If they'd known Dag wouldn't have any problems with Percy tagging along. Not that it really mattered, not any more. But still, it was good to know.

"Oh," I said making sure to sound disappointed. "I'm sorry, Dag, but I don't think I'll be able to come. Percy and I see each other so rarely as it is so I don't really want to spend any time away from him."

"Oh," Dag actually looked crestfallen and I couldn't help but feel bad for playing with him. Not enough to stop, but still enough to feel guilty, it was progress I guess.

"Maybe next time," I said, trying to give him back the evil card.

"No," he protested, "Keep it. Maybe you'll change your mind. And...if your ever in need of a place to stay because you're scared, or something...weird happened, you can come to that address. I'll be there to help you if you're in trouble..." he grinned widely before adding, "Or if you're ever in need of an alibi or just need someone to help you hide a body."

I decided not to give him a hard time by pointing out all the weird shit he said to me. It was almost physically painful but I managed to restrain myself. Somehow. It showed I was clearly growing as a person.

"Alright. Thanks, Dag. And I'll definitely come to you if I ever commit homicide," my lips curled up into a faint smile, "It's always nice to know I have options.".

.

.

Three days later we were on a bus to Manhattan talking about our plans for the summer, Dag's plans to save the trees, and my plans to hang out with my brother. There were no broken down buses, no freaky monsters out to kill me, and best of all, no fates trying to screw with me. On the one hand I was beyond relieved, but on the other, nothing weird happened to me because they were too busy messing with my brother. Fucking assholes.

Saying goodbye to Dag was harder than I though it would be. He was the first friend I'd ever made as Rhea Jackson, it didn't matter that he had hidden motives for gaining my friendship, he was still a good friend. It took some time convincing him to let me go home on my own - he insisted on taking me to my doorstep like a good prom date or something - but he listened eventually...after I threatened to thoroughly kick his ass if he didn't stop being weird. I gave him an awkward hug which he returned just as awkwardly, and took a cab home.

Coming home felt awesome. Just sitting in the back of the cab listening to Punjabi music blaring out of the speakers while we arrived at my street made me feel like building a sand castle at the beach. Yes, I truly was that excited about building sand castles at the beach, being Poseidon's kid made me feel good about the weirdest shit, seriously.

The second the cab stopped in front of my home the door to my apartment building opened with a big bang by an excited and breathless Percy. I was instantly pulled out of the cab and into Percy's arms the second I opened the door.

"Rhea, you're home!" Percy exclaimed happily, holding me tightly in his arms.

"Hey Percy," I sighed blissfully, happy to be back in the arms of my brother. "How long have you been home?"

"Not long, only a couple of hours." he slowly released me from his embrace and studied me carefully, his hands holding me by my shoulders. "You've changed."

I snorted disbelievingly, "No I haven't, besides, it hasn't been that long, we just saw each other when we spoke over the web-cam," I pointed out.

"Yeah," he grinned wryly, "But that's different. I was distracted then, and it wasn't like I had a good look or anything. You've definitely changed," he tilted his head looking puzzled before his expression turned to realization, "You've become even prettier than you were before," he finally said.

I couldn't suppress the blush that tinted my cheeks no matter how much I wanted to. I knew I was pretty, I looked like the kind of girl my previous incarnation often wished she could have looked like, but it wasn't as important to me as I once believed it was. Boys often complimented me and tried to ask me out on dates but I had never really though about it, or blushed, until Percy called me pretty in a way that made it seem like he was genuine and simply stating a fact of life.

"Are you blushing?" Percy asked incredulously.

"No! Shut up," I retorted trying to hide my blush.

"You are!"

Thankfully the cab driver chose that moment to interrupt. I had been so busy talking to Percy that I hadn't even noticed the cab driver had already taken my bags out of his trunk and was waiting for payment.

"Here you go, kid," he said, eyes glinting with amusement as he pointed to my suitcase and military style duffel bag.

"Thanks! Sorry about that, was kinda distracted by my brother. How much do I owe you?"

"Thirteen bucks, kid."

"Oh, hey, mom sent me down with cab money," Percy said while taking out a crumpled twenty out of his pocket and paying the driver. The driver returned the change, wished us a good night and drove off.

"Why isn't mom down here with you?"

Percy scowled, "Because stinky Gabe's being a dick."

I snorted, "So business as usual then?" I replied dryly, making him burst out in surprised laughter.

"I really did miss you," he grinned giving me another hug.

"Yeah, yeah, you say that now," I replied jokingly. "Give it a couple of days, and you'll start wishing you were an only child."

"Nah, I'll probably wish you were back at school, but I stopped wishing you were never born a while ago."

I grinned widely, "Progress. Maybe in a couple of years you'll be able to put up with me for at least a couple of weeks without wanting to kill me."

"Hey now, let's not go that far," he smirked.

"Ass," I retorted, playfully punching his arm.

"Let's get you home, mom can't wait to see you."

"Yeah," I sighed, feeling suddenly tired. "Let's go home."

.

.

"Honey!" my mom exclaimed happily when I walked through the front door of our apartment. She gave me a long tight hug. She pulled back a little to see my face and sighed tearfully while gently cupping my face with her hands. "You look so much like your father," she sighed wistfully.

I smiled at the compliment and returned to her warm embrace, holding her tight while burrowing my face in her shoulder. "Thanks, Mom," I whispered happily.

She smelled good, like a mom was supposed to smell, like chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central, but most of all being in her arms and smelling her familiar scent made me feel safe. It was a doubled edged sword because it made me miss my first mother so damn much.

I didn't really think a lot about my first life anymore. My initial suspicions of someone or something messing with my emotions to make the transfer to this world more bearable only grew as time went by and I let go of my old life almost effortlessly. Whenever I did think about my family the memories weren't accompanied by the crushing pain of loss like they should have been. The only times I felt any deep emotions was when I held my mother close and felt the loss of my first mother like a big gaping hole. Or when Percy did something so utterly stupid I couldn't help but be reminded of my little brother in my previous life, and the dumb shit he could get up to at times.

"Sally? Are you done with my bean-dip? Why is it taking forever?" Gabe yelled interrupting our happy reunion.

I opened my mouth to yell at the behemoth to make his own damn bean dip, but my mother clasped her hand over my mouth, hushing me before I could make a sound.

"Montauk," she said firmly, saying only one world but conveying a thousand meanings.

I instantly deflated. "But-," I protested weakly.

"Montauk," she said again, making me sigh and nod in resignation.

She gave me another bright heartwarming smile before disappearing into the kitchen to make bean-dip for the dipshit.

I turned to Percy with a furious scowl when I heard the dipshit say 'finally' like he'd been waiting for an eternity. He returned my scowl with one of his own, but took a deep breath before exhaling loudly.

"Montauk," my brother said through clenched teeth.

I grimaced but nodded in agreement. "Montauk."

The truth was that no matter how much we hated the behemoth we'd swallow a lot of his shit if it meant being able to go to Montauk with our mother.

"Are you sure he's gonna let us go?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Well he wasn't at first," Percy admitted, still looking angry, "Hence the bean-dip."

I snorted with disgust. Fucking pig was easy to bribe if you waved the prospect of good food under his nose.

"So how was school? Did you happen to overhear another conversation about people wanting to kill you that you want to tell me about like you're just, you know, commenting on the bad weather?"

My eyes snapped to his face when he stayed suspiciously quiet. "You did?" I whisper yelled.

"No!" he denied vehemently.

I studied him closely to watch for any sign of deception. He had a strange look on his face, one I couldn't really identify, which worried me because I could usually read my brother like an open book.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, shook his head in denial, closed his mouth with a snap looking very thoughtful, and opened it again after taking a deep breath. "Rhea...with all the strange things we've seen over the years...do you believe in...monsters?" he asked hesitantly. He looked like he couldn't believe he was asking me something so stupid.

It was heartwarming really, to see how close Percy and I were. He would never have asked anyone else a question like that, not even if he'd seen proof, which he kind of did. He'd be too worried about their reaction to his normally insane question.

"Honestly?" I asked slightly cocking my head to the side, "Yeah, I kinda do, actually."

The relief on his face would've been funny under any other circumstances, now though it just made me want to hug him very tightly.

"Me too," he said quietly. "There are some strange things happening around me lately, scary things," he shook his head as if to clear it of all thoughts and sighed deeply. "I don't know, just keep an eye out and if anything weird happens just run."

I burst out in a startled laugh, "Yeah, sure, 'cause that's really gonna happen," I replied incredulously.

"Rhea-,"

"Hell no. Hell. Fucking. No."

"Rhea, look-,"

"Nope."

"Rhea, I need you to listen-,"

"Still no."

"Rhea!"

I took a deep calming breath hoping it would make the urge to show him exactly what I thought of that little suggestion by systematically kicking his ass go away. It didn't.

"No you listen, Percy. You're my brother and I love you, but you can be a real idiot sometimes. Do you really think I'd just run away if something bad happened to you? Let alone if you're attacked by some monster."

"Rhea, I don't want to see you hurt," he said, brushing his hand through his hair with an air of frustration.

I snorted at the ridiculousness of that statement, "And I don't wanna see you hurt," I fired back sharply.

"Rhea," Percy almost growled. "It's my job to protect you, you're my little sister-"

"Only by a couple of minutes, moron. Would you leave me if I was being chased by someone or something?"

"Of course not!" Percy snapped.

"Then why do you expect me to?"

"You're my little sister, Rhea," he repeated quietly, like it explained anything.

"And you're my big brother. I'll never leave you, especially not if you're in danger."

He needed to get this through his thick skull before we were sent on a quest because if he didn't, he'd probably try to leave me behind.

"If you ever try to do something dangerous, and decide to ditch me for my own safety, keep in mind that I'll follow you anyway and will probably get in more trouble on my own without you there to keep an eye on me. Honestly, Perce, you know me, it's in your best interest to keep me close."

I gave him a bright smile, "Besides, you need me to keep you from puling your usual moronic shit, you're not going anywhere without me."

I grabbed my military style duffel bag from the floor where I dropped it earlier to hug my mother, and hauled it over my shoulder leaving my suitcase for Percy to grab, and walked into the living-room.

"We're not done talking about this," Percy hissed as he lifted my suitcase and followed after me.

"Yeah, we kinda are," I replied airily.

I halted for a couple of seconds when I saw Gabe and his buddies playing cards laughing it up and - I crinkled my nose in disgust - gassing it up. I really, really, wanted to set his ass on fire. Hell, with the way he was passing gas all the time I wouldn't even need a fucking accelerant. Disgusting pig.

He must have felt my glare because he turned around to look at us.

Gabe and I had an understanding; he could be his usual pig self, but the second he touched my mother in any other way than with respect, I would cut off his dick and feed it to him before setting him on fire. He knew this because I explained it to him very nicely while holding a big butcher knife in my hand, incidentally the same knife I was going to use to cut off his genitals if he was ever out of line. Seeing as how I was eight years old when this incident occurred, he suspected I was a little - or possibly a lot - insane. I couldn't shake the thought that if mom was a little less proficient at making bean-dip, Gabe would've run for the hills a long time ago.

"Girl," he said almost politely.

I wanted to retort with my usual greeting of pig but I clenched my teeth and hissed out a venomous, "Gabe," instead.

Percy walked up beside me glaring at Gabe, "Come on, Rhea, let's take your stuff to our room."

"Yeah, let's go before I decide to call the CDC to report a biohazard," I sneered as I tried not to breathe in through my nose. I so did not want to inhale anything that came out of Gabe, especially not if it came out of his ass. I slowly continued walking to my room followed by a snickering Percy.

"I really hate that man," I sighed as soon as I walked into our room and smelled the air. Fucking Gabe, using our room as a study while Percy and I were at school. Don't even know what the fuck he's supposed to be studying, but whatever.

"You and me both," Percy sighed, as he set down my suitcase and collapsed face-down on his bed.

I put down my duffel bag and crawled besides him lying down on my back, looking up at the underside of the top bunk mattress. It was probably weird for a fourteen year old boy and girl to share a bedroom even if they were siblings, but it never was between me and Percy. I never felt awkward or in need of privacy, and I never even once wished that our apartment was bigger so that I could have a room to myself. I felt comfortable sharing with my brother, it came natural. Maybe it was because we were twins, I didn't know, but knew Percy felt the same.

"You okay?" I finally said breaking the comfortable silence.

"Yeah," he said sounding half asleep, voice muffled by his pillow, "I'm good."

"Good?" I repeated softly, "You'll be better than good when we get to Montauk. You'll be great. We'll be great. Everything will be great," I sighed softly. I truly did miss my father. I couldn't wait to stand in the ocean and feel his power again, feel him so close to me. I had a lot to tell him.

Percy lifted his head from his pillow and gave me a soft sleepy smile, "I really did miss you, Ray."

I gave him a bright happy smile, "Me too, Percy," my smile turned into a frown, "But don't call me Ray." In all honesty I didn't mind, he rarely called me Ray and it reminded me of when we were children and he couldn't pronounce my name correctly.

"Whatever you say, Ray," Percy's sleepy but muted voice sounded from where he had buried his face back into his pillow.

I couldn't help but smile at the cute picture my big brother made when he was half asleep and fighting to stay awake, and watched as his breathing slowed as he finally surrendered. I yawned feeling very tired myself and briefly thought about climbing up to my own bed but decided I was too comfortable to move. It didn't take me long to fall asleep next to my brother, feeling like I was finally close to home. The only thing missing was my father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for your kind words.
> 
> ANSWER: Poseidon. I simply love him, he's awesome. I've always been fascinated by Hades from Greek mythology, but I don't really like him in the Percy Jackson series. He's okay I guess, but nowhere near my favorite character. Nico makes up for it though.
> 
> QUESTION: What do you look for in a good Percy Jackson fan fic?


	5. Ride the Wind to Me

 

That night I had the strangest dream. I was on a beach watching as a lightning-bolt came down from the heavens to strike the ocean, and then stared with eyes and mouth wide-open in shock as the water rose up in a wave to strike back at the lightning.

The water from the ocean twisted in all kinds of impossible forms; like hands reaching up to grab the lightning out of the sky and breaking it like it was a simple twig, while the lightning came down from the sky in the form of an arrow aimed for the hands of water.

Sometimes the lightning turned into a giant spear that soared through the sky, but was deflected by a sword made of water.

It was beautiful, but at the same time frightening to watch.

A massive lightning strike cleaved the heavens and tried to reach the ocean but was deflected by an enormous shield made of water. The lightning strike landed on the beach causing the sand to sizzle, harden, and finally crack, as it broke and opened up into a small chasm.

I watched with eyes wide open in awe and exhilaration as the ground continued to rumble and widen each time a lightning bolt and wave clashed. The awe and exhilaration I felt were drowned out by an icy fear that sent shivers down my spine when I heard a chilling laugh emerge from the chasm.

"More," the voice rumbled, "More!"

I didn't know why but suddenly I wanted the ocean and sky to stop fighting. The voice wanted them to keep battling, encouraged it even, the same time I yelled at them to stop.

I looked at the chasm with dread and fear, but I walked closer because I needed to know who the voice belonged to. Every step I took closer I could feel the air around me change to despair and mind numbing terror. The ground cracked beneath me as I walked on sand turned to glass by the heat of the lightning strike.

"Good," the voice rumbled, pleased. "Good. Come closer, little Princess...closer..."

Suddenly I wasn't so sure I wanted to know who it was. I felt that with every step I took I came closer to my end.

"Come now, little Princess, there's no need to fear me...come closer now...closer..."

I tried to stop but I couldn't. Every instinct in me screamed to run the other way but my feet had a mind of their own. I looked at the ocean, so sure that if I could just call out for it, call for help, it would come to my aid. But the words were unable to leave my throat as if they were stuck there behind a barrier of icy cold fear.

Just as I reached the chasm, when I would have to take one more step to stand close enough to look inside it, a voice behind me broke me from my trance.

"Miss. Jackson, late as always," the crisp voice sounded behind me.

I tried to turn around and was relieved to find that I could. My eyes widened in shock when I found the familiar face of my hated history teacher Mr. Vogel, lounging on a beach chair drinking a cocktail I recognized as a sea breeze, as if he was just enjoying a nice summer day at a tropical resort. He looked nothing like the stern, relentless teacher I'd come to know and fear.

Mr. Vogel would've been a thirty-something handsome man, with blue eyes and honey-blond curls, if he hadn't looked like he'd been sucking on a lemon since birth. Now he looked handsome, charismatic, and likable. His blue eyes that usually seemed cold were filled with a warmth that would've made me smile under any other circumstances. His honey-blond curls looked windswept, and made my hands itch with the urge to fix them, knowing that it would've been a lost cause, but still wanting to run my hands through them anyway.

"Mr. Vogel?" I stammered, gaping at him and somehow unable to take my eyes of the bright purple paper umbrella decorating his drink.

He shrugged casually, as if the world around us wasn't going to hell in a hand-basket.

"Sometimes, but only when I'm really bored."

What the hell was that supposed to mean. "W-what?"

"Never mind," he said impatiently, and waved his hand casually to the right making a beach chair appear out of thin air besides him. "Sit down, little Rhea, you're blocking the view.

"What?" I asked again.

"Sit down," he repeated, gesturing at the newly appeared beach chair.

The ground beneath me shook causing me to almost lose my footing and suddenly sitting down seemed like the best idea I had ever heard. I stumbled towards Mr. Vogel sitting down heavily on the beach chair, feeling grateful I made it before collapsing on the ground.

"Ouch, that had to hurt," Mr. Vogel winced, still casually sipping his sea breeze.

I followed his line of sight and almost jumped up at what I saw, knowing that the only reason I didn't was because my limbs felt like noodles and I wasn't sure if my feet would carry my weight.

"I have to stop them," I said, as the lightning and sea continued their battle. The voice from the chasm still sounded but even though I could hear him clearly, as if he stood right next to me, the words held no meaning to me. Not like they were spoken in an other language, but as if someone erased their meaning from my mind.

"Nah," Mr. Vogel said dismissively, "Trust me, Rhea, you can't. They've been doing this for thousands of years, and will continue fighting for thousands more."

"But the voice, the voice is making them fight...somehow..." I had the feeling I knew how the voice was making them fight, but every time I came close to remembering, it disappeared, like trying to catch smoke with your hands.

"There's always something making them fight, they won't truly stop until they decide to, and with the way things are looking," he shrugged unapologetic, "I don't see it happening in the near future, or ever, really. It's their nature."

"I don't understand," I said softly. I was confused and worried, the water was hurting, I could feel its pain.

"You're not meant to, not yet anyway, maybe not ever."

"I still don't understand. Why are you being so confusing?" It was a legitimate question because although he wasn't my favorite teacher, he was a good teacher. History could get confusing sometimes but not with the way he taught the class, he made it easy to understand.

"I could tell you it's because life is confusing, but honestly? This isn't my first sea breeze, so that could also be a factor," he grinned, his white teeth standing out more because of his tanned skin.

I frowned at the drink wishing I was old enough to join and wondering if he'd care if I asked him to magic me one up. His eyes held an amused knowing glint, almost daring me to ask, but I decided against it. Even if he didn't bite my head off for underage drinking, I needed to keep a clear head.

"You shouldn't be drunk-dream-driving then," I said almost petulantly.

"Hey now, little Rhea, no need to get touchy," he grinned with amusement, "I'll have you know that I was enjoining the hell out of my summer vacation after having to teach the history of the world to a bunch of uninterested hooligans. It's not my fault I had to cut my vacation short to come rescue you from your own stupidity. What kind of idiot walks towards a strange chasm with a frightening voice calling you to come to them, anyway? Have you never seen a horror movie before? This is a sure way to get your ass killed by a serial killer."

I blushed knowing he wasn't wrong on it being a stupid move on my part. "I was just curious to see-"

"Curiosity killed the cat, little Rhea. Next time, don't look. I can't guarantee that I'll come save you when something like this happens again, which it will, knowing you. As it was, I had to leave in the middle of a wet T-shirt contest."

"Are you serious?" I gaped at him in shock. "You are so not Mr. Vogel," I decided.

"Like I said only when I'm really bored. You're my new entertainment, little Rhea," he grinned wolfishly. "Don't you feel special?"

I felt nauseated, actually. I didn't know who this guy was but I knew enough not to want his attention.

"Who are you, really?"

"I'm Mr. Vogel. I'm also many different people, it depends really."

"On what?" I asked not sure I wanted to know.

"How bored I am that week."

Okay...I was obviously never going to get a straight answer out of him. "What do I have to do with your boredom?"

He smiled approvingly like I finally asked the right question.

"When I get bored things tend to happen; worlds end, people die, and sometimes a tiger gives birth to a gorilla - but that was only a couple of times. I stopped doing that when the tigers went ballistic, ate the gorilla it gave birth to, and started hunting down all the gorillas in the world because they were sure they were behind the plot somehow. That wasn't one of my brightest ideas, I'll admit. It wasn't boring though, and that's what matters in the end."

"What?" I choked, not sure I was hearing right.

"Yep," he grinned brightly, "Good times."

"Are you maybe a little, oh I don't know, insane?"

"Only on the days that end with Y. Don't worry though, little Rhea, I don't think you inherited my insanity. Your father...well he might have inherited just a little. Your uncle Hades, definitely, but he has to be insane to deal with what he sees on a daily basis. Anyway I wouldn't worry about it too much, you need to be a little insane to be a god."

"What?"

"You say that a lot."

"What?"

He snorted, "Too much for your mortal brain to comprehend, huh?"

"No. No, I'm just stuck on the part where for me and my father to inherit something from you, we need to be related, that's all." I wasn't sure what he was trying to do or why he wanted to confuse me, but I didn't miss that little tidbit of information.

"Huh. Caught that didn't you?" he said almost proudly.

"Yes, what do you mean when you say that?"

"Oh would you look at that, time's running out. We'll talk about this later little Rhea, don't worry I'll be around keeping an eye on you in case something like this happens again, which it will."

"Unless you're too busy ogling a bunch of chicks in wet T-shirts, then I'm on my own, right?" I snorted, willing to let go of my line of questioning. I'd have to think about everything he said later.

"Oh I don't know about that," he said mildly, "I'm here now, aren't I?"

"True. Thanks, by the way."

"No need. I've invested too much in you to let you fall to your death so easily. When you die it will be epic enough to relieve my boredom for quite some time, and probably very painful, for you at least."

That didn't sound reassuring at all. "That's great," I replied sarcastically.

"Isn't it just," he smiled happily, completely oblivious of the sarcasm. "But I'm afraid it's time for you to wake up now because I can hear some beautiful young ladies wearing nothing but wet T-shirts calling my name. See you soon, little Rhea."

I sighed unhappily, glad to be far away from this maniac, but at the same time disappointed at not knowing what he wanted with me. I would need to do research, lots and lots of it. If he was related to my father there would be records about him. I needed to know who he was and if he was a dangerous to me and my brother. He saved me but only because he wanted me to die more epically, that didn't sound like the actions of an ally to me.

"Don't worry so much, it's not like you're going to remember this conversation..."

I tried to ask him what he meant, but I could feel someone shaking me, telling to wake up. The last thing I saw was his wide grin that showed too many teeth to be natural, and didn't seem so nice all of a sudden.  
.  
.

"Rhea, stop kicking me." Percy's groggy voice sounded close to my ear, waking me from my sleep.

"Whasthat?" I mumbled tiredly. "Who's kicking you? I'll kick their ass."

"You are, idiot," Percy said, managing to sound both fond and exasperated at the same time.

"Me?" I groaned.

"Yes. Stop now, please."

"Mmm, 'kay," I mumbled, still half asleep. I was dreaming about something, something important. I tried to get back to sleep hoping I'd slip back into the dream, but I couldn't seem to remember what it was about.

"Seriously, stop."

"Mmmm."

"Rhea," he sighed exasperatedly, "Go to your own bed."

"Mmm? Nooo, don't wanna, missed you Percy," I groaned, forcefully hugging my brother and clinging to his warmth. If he wanted to kick me out of bed, which knowing him he literally would without hesitation, I'd be taking him with me.

"Fine," he sighed with resignation, "But no kicking."

"Mhhh, 'kay..." I sighed already going back to sleep.

Just as I slipped back into blissful oblivion, my brother's voice sounded out one last time, "And for God's sake, Rhea, stop clinging to me like a freaking monkey."

.

.

The second time I woke up it was to the lovely smell of chocolate chip pancakes, and the angry mutters of Percy.

"What's your problem?" I yawned, as my eyes followed his hurried steps through our room.

"Mmm?" he asked, surprised by my voice. "Oh, hey, Rhea, you're up," he grinned brightly as he pulled something out of his closet and stuffed it in his backpack.

"Yeah, what are you doing?"

"Some last minute packing, you know. Last time I forgot my swimming trunks and had to go swimming in my cut-offs. Not pleasant, let me tell you."

I smiled softly, "I'd forgotten all about that."

"Yeah, well, I didn't, believe me," he grimaced. "Anyway, get your butt out of bed," his grimace turned into a wide smile, "Mom's making pancakes, and Gabe's not joining us for breakfast."

"Wow, it looks like Christmas and our birthday decided to come early this year," I said with mock excitement.

I was still pretty happy though, no Gabe was always a good thing in my book. My appetite always left the vicinity with his ass around, so maybe this time I could actually enjoy breakfast with my family.

"I know, right?" Percy said with fake cheer as he looked at the sky assuming a dramatic pose. "It's like a dream come true."

I laughed at his antics but something inside me froze at the word dream. There was something about my dream, something I...should...

"Huh?" I asked startled as Percy flicked my forehead. "Also, ow. What was that for, you ass?"

"You weren't listening to me, thought I'd get your attention," he shrugged casually. "What were you thinking about anyway, you didn't even give me the appropriate applause for my fantastic performance."

I frowned confusedly, "Nothing, I guess. I forgot."

"Huh," Percy said thoughtfully, "I should probably make a note not to flick your forehead again since it obviously induces brain-damage, but the face you make whenever I do that is just too damn funny to stop. Sorry," he added insincerely when I glared.

"Whatever," I sighed, walking towards my closet to look for something to wear. The only thing that annoyed about sharing a room with Percy was always having to take my clothes with me into the bathroom to change. "I'm going to get ready, see you in a sec."

"Mmm," Percy hummed.

After brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower I followed my nose into the kitchen to satisfy my grumbling stomach.

"Hey, mom."

"Sweetheart," my mom beamed. Her smiles always had the ability to make me feel like the most loved person in her world. I wondered if that was what attracted my dad towards her. "Sit down, eat, I made your favorites."

"Thanks Mom," I smiled warmly, truly happy to be home.

There would undoubtedly be many times in my future where I'd ask 'why me? Why is this my life? Why did this have to happen to me?' and generally just hate the fact that I was reborn into a life where I was Poseidon's daughter, but I would never ever regret having Sally Jackson as my mother. I was blessed with the mothers I had in both lives, it was twice more than some people got.

"Hey Mom," Percy greeted as he sat down next to me.

"Good morning, honey."

I snorted when I noticed Percy's messy hair. He looked like a mad scientist.

"What?" Percy demanded defensively, obviously knowing me well enough to know I was silently laughing at him.

"Nothing," I smirked, trying but failing to look innocent.

"No seriously, what?"

"Dude, you do own a hairbrush right?" I gleefully rubbed my hand through his hair, ignoring his protests, "I suggest you use it 'cause...yeah..."

"Shut up," he mumbled sliding his hand through his hair, uselessly trying to tidy up his hair. "I've seen how you look when you just wake up - you have no right to talk."

I kicked his leg under the table. "Rude."

"Mom, Rhea's kicking me!"

"He called me a monster!"

"Did not!"

"Might as well have," I retorted.

"So you admit you look like a monster when you just wake up?"

"...shut up!"

"Children!" my mother called, immediately shutting us up.

Percy kept smirking at me eyes filled with amusement. 'Shut up!' I mouthed, but it only seemed to increase his amusement. I scowled at him and flipped him off, to which he snorted. I decided to ignore him knowing that if I made a big deal of it he'd only become more annoying. I grabbed a pancake put it on my plate and buried it in powdered sugar. I almost moaned when I took a bite, my mom was the best at making chocolate-chip pancakes.

"Jesus, Rhea, are you eating pancakes with powdered sugar, or powdered sugar with pancakes?" Percy complained, face filled with disgust.

So I liked to bury my pancakes in powdered sugar, it wasn't that bad. I only did it because my mother was being completely unreasonable and wouldn't let me drink any Fanta with breakfast. I needed to get my sugar fix from somewhere.

"Mind your own business, Perseus," I snapped defensively.

"Don't call me Perseus, Ray-Ray," he snapped back.

"Don't call m-"

"Percy, Rhea, enough." my mother interrupted our usual morning bickering patiently. She sat down beside Percy grabbing a plate and a couple of pancakes.

"Whatever," Percy sighed.

"So Perseus," my mother started sounding deceptively kind, "How was school?"

I barely managed to contain the gleeful snicker when I caught my brother's dear-in-headlights look. Poor bastard.

After eating five pancakes and watching my brother stammer through an explanation about why he wasn't invited back to school for next year, I decided Percy had squirmed enough and deserved to be rescued from my mother's tender mercies.

"So when are we leaving anyway?" I interrupted, receiving a very relieved and thankful look from Percy. He owed me. Big.

"I wanted to leave around noon, do you two think you'll be ready by then?"

"Yeah, I think so. Percy's already finished packing I think," I smiled at Percy's eager nod, knowing the only reason he woke up early to do his packing was because he wanted to leave as soon as possible. "And I wont take long. The sooner we can get out of here the better."

"Amen to that," Percy muttered silently.

"Good," my mother smiled cheerfully giving me a look that told me she wasn't fooled even a second by my attempted distraction, and turned back to Percy. "Where were we? Ah, school..."

The expression on Percy's face would have made me laugh if I hadn't felt so sorry for him. There was nothing I could do to save him from my mother now. Basically, he was fucked. Well, better him than me, I guess.

.

.

A couple of hours later we were ready to leave. Gabe had emerged from his bedroom a half hour earlier scratching his ass like the disgusting Neanderthal he was. He was drinking a beer while watching Percy and I struggle with our luggage. I would've at least glared at the bastard for not lifting a finger to help us but honestly, I didn't want his unwashed ass-scratching hands anywhere near me or my brother. Going by the disgusted expression on Percy's face I was pretty sure we were on the same page.

"Ready, kids?" my mother asked after we finally made it outside and loaded our luggage in the trunk. She wore an excited smile that made her seem years younger.

"Definitely," Percy smiled just as brightly, resembling my mother so much that it reminded me that while we were Poseidon's children and looked a lot like him, our mother's genes were definitely in there too.

"Good. Let's go!"

A door closed behind me and I turned round to see Gabe walk out of the apartment building, a bottle of beer still firmly his grasp. Seeing as how the bottle he was drinking from a couple of minutes ago was just about empty, and the one he now held was half-full, I was pretty sure he would be running over to the Wines & Liqueur store across the street soon.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned Percy as he was about to step into the car. Percy visibly gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, giving Gabe an annoyed scowl.

"It's not like he's gonna be driving," I said scathingly.

"Not a scratch," he repeated, ignoring my heated glare.

It seemed like Gabe needed a new lesson in how not to treat my brother. I would give it to him but if the next couple of weeks were anything like the books, he would definitely get what was coming to him. Just thinking about it made me feel all warm and fuzzy. I think I may have smiled like an unhinged maniac if the look Gabe sent me before lumbering back into the apartment building was anything to go by.

I snorted, and cackled like a madwoman when the door hit him in the ass on the way in. I'd completely forgotten about that. I turned to Percy to see him look from his hand to the building with an astonished look on his face, before turning to me and giving me a wide grin.

"Get in the car, Rhea," he laughed, pulling me inside when it became obvious I was laughing too hard to do it myself. "Step on it!" he yelled when I was finally situated, still snickering every time I replayed the image in my head. It was so much more funnier than in the books.

We spent the entire trip to Montauk singing along the radio belting out the lyrics to my mother's favorite songs from the 80s, generally just enjoying our freedom and having fun. It was always so good to see Percy happy and relaxing. I could almost visibly see the tension draining from his frame the closer we came to our destination, the same way I could see my mother grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea, and sparkled in a way that made me understand why someone like my father would be unable to look away.

The cabin we always rented was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets that mysteriously turned up in uncomfortable places, creepy spiders in the cabinets that, to my brother's everlasting amusement, made me scream at least once a day , and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

Naturally Percy and I loved the place.

We'd been going there at least once a year since Percy I were born. My mom had been going even longer. She met my dad at this beach, in fact I was pretty sure this was where Percy and I were conceived, probably in the cabin or literally on the beach. It was a mind-bleaching, shudder-worthy thought that I would never share with my brother unless he did something to royally piss me off and deserved to be utterly traumatized for life.

"We're here!"

"Hmm?"

"We're here," Percy repeated, and opened the door to climb out of the car.

I stepped out of the car and inhaled deeply, breathing in the ocean's breeze. It felt good, welcoming, familiar. I couldn't wait for night to fall and my mom and Percy to go to sleep so I could sneak out and talk to my dad. He probably wasn't going to show up again, that was a one time thing that certainly wouldn't be repeated now of all times. Not with Zeus on his case about the lightning bolt theft. It would be a stupid move and Poseidon was anything but stupid, at least not when it came to things like this.

"Stop standing there like some stupid statue, Rhea. I'm not gonna take your stuff inside; so not your slave!"

"Yeah, yeah, didn't ask you to."

"Didn't have to, you always do this and I get stuck on luggage duty, well not this time."

"Percy, honey, would you mind bringing in the rest of the luggage?" my mom's voice sounded from inside the cabin. I turned to Percy and grinned in amusement.

"What? Why? Rhea can do it, I do it every year."

"Now that's not very gentlemanly, Perseus," I whispered smugly.

"No complaining, honey. Think of it as...tradition. You like tradition right?"

"But-" Percy looked from me to the cabin door in shocked helplessness. "You know what, fine," he finally sighed resignedly.

"Thanks bro," I quipped lightly, "Careful with the goods, alright, there are some fragile items in there."

"Sure," Percy grinned vengefully, pulling my bags from the car and walking to the cabin. "I'll make sure to be extra carefu- oops," he slammed my bag into the doorpost. "Sorry!"

I cringed at the sight, relieved that I was only joking about the 'fragile items' thing. "Vindictive asshole," I muttered softly walking towards the trunk of the car to pull out a couple of bags.

"Better help him out before he spends our entire stay at Montauk acting like a petulant little bitch." brothers could be so annoying sometimes.

It took a while to go though our usual cabin cleaning, there were even more spiders than last year, but we managed in the end. We opened all the windows in the cabin before we started cleaning so the rooms were filled with an alluring sense of ocean fresh. I smelled it so strongly I wondered if it was one of the quirks of being Poseidon's daughter. My mom probably didn't notice it as much as Percy and I did and I doubt she felt as cleansed and rejuvenated by it as I was.

After cleaning the cabin and eating a couple of tuna sandwiches we walked on the beach, fed the seagulls, and munched on all kinds of free candy samples mom had brought from work. It was mostly blue candy but mom knew that I didn't really like candy much unless it was liquorice so she made sure to bring me some. She and Percy could bond over their love of blue candy as long as I wasn't expected to eat any of it.

I never really hopped on the whole blue-food bandwagon like Percy did. I got it, independence is a good thing, really it is. Keeping her maiden name, good plan. But blue food? Nah. I would just support their efforts from a distance. Far away from the disgusting blue-corn tortilla chips monstrosity she tried to feed me.

When night fell we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told us stories about when she was younger back before her parents died in the plane crash. I always wondered about that when they were just characters in a book. Did Zeus have a bad day, or was it truly an accident? Now that they weren't just characters in a book anymore but my mother's mom and dad, my grandparents, I was even more curious.

She told us about her future plans and goals, about stories and characters she made up long ago and would love to write about if she ever got the chance. And eventually, Percy got up the nerve to ask about what was always on his mind whenever we came to Montauk but hesitated to bring up with our mom because he didn't want to hurt her—our father.

Mom never much talked about Poseidon. Maybe it was because it still hurt too much, or maybe it was fear of bringing danger to our doorstep, I didn't know. It was still good to hear things from her perspective though, especially for Percy who didn't really know anything about our father.

"He was kind, Percy," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You and Rhea have his black hair, you know, and his green eyes. You both look so much like him."

Mom looked into the fire, eyes glistening with unshed tears "I wish he could see you, sweetheart, both of you. He would be so proud."

"Of course he would," I said knowing that Percy was too busy kicking himself for being a 'loser', "We're awesome, who wouldn't be proud to have kids like us."

Percy snorted. "Well, a kid like me maybe, I don't know why anyone would ever want to be related to you."

"Oh that's nice," I grumbled, making him and my mother smile.

"How old were we? I mean ... when he left?" Percy asked somewhat hesitant. "I can't really remember him so it must have been before we were like, four years old, right?"

"We were only together for one summer, Percy," my mother sighed regretfully. "Right here at this beach. This cabin."

Oh yeah, they totally had sex on this beach. I could only hope it wasn't anywhere around where I was sitting. And wasn't that a totally disgusting 'please someone for the love of the gods make me forget this' thought.

"But... he knew us when we were babies."

"No, honey. He knew I was pregnant, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

Well that wasn't true. Even if mom didn't know that dad came to visit us when she was sleeping, he came to see us after we were born, I remember. He asked her to come live with him under the sea, but she said no. Why doesn't she want us to know he met us?

"But..." Percy seemed so lost suddenly, like his worldview had been changed and not in a good way. "But that means he doesn't even know about Rhea. You said she was a surprise, that you hadn't even known you were pregnant with twins until she came along 4 minutes later."

"Well that kinda sucks," I couldn't help but say. Well it would have if dad hadn't known I existed, but I vividly remember him playing 'catch the wayward fish' with my belly button so things were good as far as I was concerned. Percy though, he looked at me like I was just diagnosed with terminal cancer.

"It's okay," I quickly assured him. "Seriously, it's fine," I added when he scoffed disbelievingly.

No it's not," he clenched his jaw and stood angrily, "It's not okay, and it's very far from fine, so don't say that."

"Percy," mom started, "You're father is-"

"Gone. He's gone and he doesn't even know Rhea exist, he doesn't even know I exist if you want to get technical about it, because he isn't here. He's out there," he pointed at the ocean, "Lost. Whatever that even means. He's not here and now we have to deal with smelly Gabe."

Okay. I didn't remember the character Percy Jackson ever saying those things. He thought them, sure, but then he'd bite his tongue before he said something to hurt his mom. My brother Percy Jackson on the other hand...

Maybe it was because he was defending me. He seemed more angry that my father hadn't even known of my existence than anything else.

"I have you," I said softly, breaking the tense silence after his outburst. "I have mom. And that makes it okay. It would be great if dad could be there too, but until he gets himself found, things are fine."

His tense shoulders sagged. "But-"

"Percy, Rhea, your father would give anything for a chance to be a part of our lives. He would be here if he could, he isn't gone because he wants to be. Please know that." mom said, voice strained by unshed tears.

"What about you, are you gonna send us away again?" he swallowed heavily. "To another boarding school?"

I decided to nip this in the but before it went any further. He would only regret hurting mom later.

"If she is it isn't because she doesn't want us around. You know mom loves us and wants to keep us with her always, but do you really want to go home with Gabe there?"

"Why doesn't she send him away then? He's useless anyway, and why do we have to separated? If we have to be away from home, at least let us be away together. I just don't get it. And you," he whirled around angrily pointing at me, "You're just fine with this. It's like you don't even care."

"Of course I care, idiot. But I also have eyes. Mom is doing this for a reason and until she feels it's time to tell us what's going on I figure I'll just trust she's looking out for our best interests." my mom seemed startled at my words, and I could see a brief flash of guilt paint her features before giving me a warm smile.

"Percy I don't want you and your sister to leave, and the last thing I want is to keep you two apart, especially when it's clearly hurting you. But I have to. It's for your own safety."

"Because we're different." Percy's voice sounded matter-of-fact as he addressed the giant pink elephant that had been dancing on the table for most of our lives.

I held my breath in anticipation, wondering if she'd finally admit to our weirdness or brush it off. Would she tell us about our father? I honesty didn't think she would. A big part of me just wanted her to tell us, it would make things so much easier for Percy to hear it from our mother instead of finding out in such a traumatizing way, but a much bigger part was on edge fearing the danger the truth would bring, danger we weren't ready to face yet.

"Yes," she sighed.

"We're not normal."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," I said softly.

"It isn't!" mom assured us. "You don't realize how important you are. I  
thought sending you to boarding schools would be far enough away, that separating you from each other would fix this. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"Safe from what?"

I stayed silent deciding to let it play out. She would either tell us or not, it didn't matter, he'd find out soon anyway. Percy met my eyes and I could read his as if it were my own. He wanted to know if we should tell her about all the strange things happening around him lately. I shook my head slowly.

"I've tried to keep you both as close to me as I could," my mom said. "He told me that was a mistake. He said that it may have worked when it was just Percy, but with Rhea... He said it would be twice as dangerous with twins."

She was mostly talking to herself now, almost like she forgot we were there with her.

"Who said?" Percy asked, voice filled with frustration.

Poseidon. I remembered this part of the conversation too, I was never going to forget thinking they were going to separate me and Percy.

My mom startled at the question, finally remembering that she wasn't alone. "But there's only one other option—the place your father wanted to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it," she continued ignoring Percy's question.

"Dad wanted us to go to a special school?"

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp."

"So let me get this straight, he wasn't around long enough to know I exist, but he was around long enough to enroll us into summer school a decade and a half later?" I asked skeptically. "Because that's not weird at all."

Just because I knew exactly what was going on, it didn't mean I wasn't going to point out the flaws of their illogical plans.

"I agree, that doesn't make sense," Percy added in his own two cents.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," she said, looking into my eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I—I couldn't send you and your brother to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"For good? Why, it's only a summer camp right...? It's not like it's some kind of cult or something?" I joked lightly, hoping the lift their moods.

Percy however took it seriously.

"Oh my god, that's it, isn't it? Our dad is some kind of screwed up cult leader, and you've been on the run from his freaky cult since you found out you were pregnant."

"What?" mom spluttered.

"Seriously, things make so much more sense now. Are they trying to pressure you into sending us there? We should go to the police. Is dad still with them, is he threatening you too?" he voice became angrier and louder.

"Um, Percy, I was only kidding."

"No, no, Rhea, think about it-"

"Percy, no. Your father is not a part a cult, nor is he the leader." mom looked torn between laughing and shaking her head at his wild imagination.

"Are you sure?"

"Idiot," I snorted

"Well you said it first," he snapped, blushing at the looks he was receiving from me and mom.

"I said I was kidding," I protested laughingly.

We didn't really talk about anything important after that. Percy and I could both see our mom was too upset to answer any questions. Percy kept giving me these looks, like he wanted to haul me away from our mom and talk to me about all the new information we'd received. But one look at mom's red eyes and sad frown put a quick stop to that idea.

I didn't really want to talk about it anyway. I had no idea what to say to Percy and since he was very close to finding out, it just seemed pointless.

That night, after mom and Percy fell asleep I packed up most of my things. I didn't know if this was the night Grover would come, but seeing as how the storm raging outside sounded like the opening act to the Armageddon and Percy was tossing and turning in his bed, experiencing a particularly bad nightmare, I figured I'd go with a big 'yes'.

The funny this was that I was feeling a lot calmer than I thought I would. I had years to equally dread and anticipate this day, and now that it had finally come I was only feeling slightly anxious. Not for what was to come, but more like fear that it wasn't. I had already waited two years longer than I had anticipated. I was tired of waiting and pretty much wanted to get it all over with so I could finally see my dad again.

"No!" Percy yelled suddenly, making me smile. Maybe it really was time.

I hurried over to his bed. "You okay?"

Percy looked at me blankly for a second before shaking his head slightly, as if to shake off a bad thought.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he sighed heavily. "Nightmare," he tacked on with a reluctant mutter at my disbelieving snort. His eyes moved from my face to body, "Why are you dressed?"

"I couldn't sleep. Haven't been to bed yet to be honest, and didn't really plan to."

"Why?" he asked, tilting his head like a confused puppy. My brother could be fucking adorable sometimes.

"Nightmare," I replied, lips twisted up into a wry smile.

Percy opened his mouth to reply but whatever he said was drowned out by a heavy thunder-clap and loud rumble.

Mom woke with a start. She sat up, eyes wide, and said, "Hurricane."

"Seriously?" Percy questioned skeptically.

Over the roar of the wind, I heard a distant bellow, an angry, tortured sound that made my hair stand on end—it was epitome of fucking creepy. Then, as if things weren't bad enough, a much closer noise, a desperate voice—someone yelling, pounding on our cabin door. My mother sprang out of bed in her nightgown and threw open the lock.

"Jesus," I sighed, "Has she never seen a horror movie before? This is a sure way to get your ass killed by a serial killer." I frowned at the feeling of deja-vu that came over me after saying those words. There was something I was supposed to be remembering. Something about...I shook away the brief images of blue eyes, a smile with too many teeth, and strangely enough, tigers attacking gorilla's. I needed to focus on important things.

I ignored Percy's 'you are so fucking weird' look, since I was used to being on the receiving end of it since practically birth, and followed my mom.

Percy gasped in shock at the dude standing in the doorway. It might have been because he never expected to see a friend from school pounding on the door of his rented vacation cabin in the middle of the night, but it also might have been because the dude was basically half goat.

So that's what a satyr looked like. Huh. Dag looked like that too, that was going to be weird to get used to.

"I've been searching since Yesterday," he gasped. "What were you thinking ditching me like that, especially after what happened?"

My mother looked at us in terror—not scared of the half goat dude, but of why he was here.

"Kids," she said, shouting to be heard over the rain. "What happened at school? What didn't you tell me?"

"Nothing on my end," I shrugged apologetically.

Percy was pretty much doing an imitation of a statue, looking at Grover like he couldn't understand what he was seeing.

"O Zeu kai alloi theoi!" Grover yelled. I couldn't suppress a small smile at hearing a language I had only heard my dad speak before. It brought back good memories.

"It's right behind me! Didn't you tell her?"

"Tell her what?" I asked since Percy was still somewhere in Lala land.

"About the monsters!"

"Percy. Tell me now!" mom demanded, sounding nothing like her usual self.

I decided to ignore their conversation and do something infinitely more useful. I pulled the backpack I'd filled with my stuff earlier while mom and Percy were sleeping from under my bed, and hurried over to the closet next to Percy's bed, grabbing his backpack from the bottom shelf. I pulled out his clothes, and everything else I thought he might need at camp Half-blood, and stuffed it in his backpack. I grabbed my raincoat from the closet and quickly looked around for my jacket deciding to wear them both, just in case I needed them later. I was good to go.

I grinned and turned back to Percy when I heard him babbling something about old ladies knitting socks, hallucinations, talking fish, and not doing drugs.

Any amusement I felt fled at the sight of my mom's fear. Her face was bone-white in the flashes of lightning. She looked like we'd been sentenced to death. She moved suddenly, grabbing her purse, and tossed a rain jacket at Percy.

"Rhea?" she called looking around in hurriedly, "Where's your raincoat, sweetheart? Find it and put it on, we have to leave."

She stopped suddenly when she caught sight of me, unlike Percy's who was still in his pajama's, fully clothed, carrying two backpacks and one messenger bag. "Why on earth are you wearing your clothes?" she asked half relieved, half incredulous.

"Couldn't sleep," I shrugged.

She sighed exasperatedly. "It doesn't matter, good job, sweetheart. Now get to the car. All three of you. Go!"

We ran to the Camero, Percy steadying me a couple of times. Running with three bags in the middle of a fucking hurricane sucked ass. I tried not to flinch whenever I heard the sound of thunder. I wasn't scared of it exactly, but I had a healthy dose of caution for the thing that killed me in my previous life. Especially when it was being thrown around by a three-thousand year old toddler.

Percy suddenly stopped, puling me to stop with him.

"What?" I yelled to make sure my voice wasn't drowned out by the storm.

"Cloven hooves," my brother muttered softly. "Rhea, do you see them too? Grover's got-"

"Yeah, I know! Not the time though, we need to get in the car."

"But you see them too, right?" he asked almost desperately.

I frowned. Everything that happened in the last couple of months must have taken a much bigger toll than I thought.

"Yeah, I see it too. Your best friend looks like he belongs on Old McDonald's farm."

"Good," he sighed. "Not crazy then."

"Percy, Rhea!" Mom yelled.

"Get in the car, big brother. Hurry."

"Right!" he yelled before running to the car.

I took a deep breath and went to follow him, but something in me made me look back at the beach. A lightning flash illuminated the previously dark water causing me to see the figure of a man looking at us from the shore. The heavy rain pelted his face and body, but it seemed like it didn't affect him because he was completely dry. If I hadn't known any better, I would have said he was my father, but my instinct told me it wasn't. It was only for a couple of seconds before it was dark again. When a second lightning flash lighted the dark, he was gone.

"Rhea!"

"Coming!" I yelled, quickly hurrying to the Camero.

I wondered who that man was and why he seemed so sad, but more in importantly, I wondered why he looked at me with so much longing. Like I was something he lost a long time ago.

I looked up at the sky one last time when I reached the car. "When it rains, it fucking pours," I muttered softly, before stepping inside.  
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A/N: I noticed that I'm not getting a lot of reviews, why is that? Do you like the story? A lot of people have alerted and Favorited this story, but the last chapter received only seven reviews. Please let me know what you think? Your comments, and advice are invaluable.

Sincerely, Hanane

P.S If you see any mistakes, please let me know.  
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Answer: I like time-travel stories. I don't really like Percy and Annabeth together, don't mind reading those stories, but I don't specifically go looking for them. I like stories that don't really focus on pairings. Percy Jackson crossover stories are always fun to read too, and for some reason Fem!Percy/Luke or Hermes or Apollo. If it's well written and makes sense, I'll give it a go. AU is also fun.

Question: What story are you currently reading, and what fandom are you currently addicted to?


	6. The Great Escape

.

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Mom drove the car like she was auditioning to be a NASCAR driver. Wind slammed against the car and rain lashed the windshield. It would've been awesome if I wasn't convinced we were about to die. The funny thing was I was more worried about death by car than being killed by the Minotaur. Even funnier was that I actually had to worry about something like the fucking Minotaur.

Life is like a box of chocolates, I guess. You never know when you pick the one some fucker laced with LSD.

The road outside the window was dark enough to make me wonder how my mom could see well enough to drive like an old lady, let alone like Michael Schumacher's long-lost sister. I decided against asking. Partly it was because I didn't want to break her concentration and be the cause of our painful deaths, but mostly, I was just honestly kind of scared of her answer.

My mom took a sharp turn, causing me to collide with Percy. I was starting to regret stepping in the car without taking off the bags I packed earlier. It was fucking uncomfortable, especially with the way mom was driving.

"Is now a bad time to mention I sometimes get car-sick?" Grover mumbled weakly.

"Just remember to aim for Percy if you plan on living past tonight," I grumbled back.

I looked at my brother when he didn't retort with one of his sarcastic little comments, or at the very least an offended 'Hey!'. Percy was rarely silent, so it worried me more than a little to see him being so quiet. It was pitch dark in the car but I could see him very clearly whenever Zeus farted, or whatever the hell else that bastard did when he released a bolt of lightning.

Percy was staring at Grover as if he wasn't sure what he was seeing. He was bone-white and his eyes were wide-open and intensely focused on Grover's goat legs.

"So... you're a donkey."

Wow. Just, wow.

"Blaa-ha-ha!" the sound made by Grover was all goat, but he somehow still managed to sound offended.

"Goat!"

"What?"

"Goat! I'm a goat from the waist down."

"Seriously? So that's why you have such a dorky laugh," Percy said, as if he'd just found an answer to a very difficult question. "I gotta be honest though, buddy, you look more like a donkey to me."

"Percy!" mom said sharply, sounding embarrassed.

"Blaa-ha-ha! There are satyrs who would trample you underhoof for such an insult!"

I loved my brother but tact was never his strongest suit. Changing the subject before Grover decided to put a hoof up his ass sounded like a really good idea.

"Wait, wait-" Percy started, only to be cut off by me.

"So, you're Grover right?"

His attention truly shifted from Percy to me for the first time since he pounded on our cabin door.

"Yes. And you're Percy's baby sister," his voice sounded a bit puzzled, "Only you don't look much younger than Percy."

"That's 'cause I'm not," I shrugged casually. "So tell me, Grover, how exactly do you know our mom?"

"You know what?" Percy interjected, "That is a good question."

Grover shifted uncomfortably. "Well, 'know' is such a strong word, I mean, we've never met in person, or even talked, or anything like that, really. But she knew I was watching you."

"Watching me?" Percy questioned sharply.

"Yeah, you know, keeping an eye on you, making sure you don't kill yourself? That kind of thing."

"So basically stalking me," Percy deadpanned.

"No!" he shifted in his seat again, "Well, maybe a little. But I'm still your friend."

"My friend who's also my stalker?"

"Yes!" he yelled almost relieved, before lapsing in a thoughtful silence. "Alright, I admit that sounds a bit weird, but it was for your own good, I swear!"

"Yeah, sure," Percy sighed, sounding more than a little confused.

"You were protecting him?" I asked.

"Yes! That's it, Percy, I was protecting you - in a way that's completely unrelated to stalking."

"Sure, man," Percy scoffed, turning away from him. "Whatever you say," Grover deflated immediately.

"From what?"

"Hmm?" Grover asked distractedly, looking at Percy like he'd kicked his puppy.

"What were you protecting my brother from?"

"Yes," Percy said, turning back to Grover. "She asks another excellent question. What were you protecting me from? I mean, no offence, but you couldn't even defend yourself from a couple of schoolyard bullies. How were you protecting me exactly?"

"I can too protect myself from bullies," Grover bristled, ignoring Percy's disbelieving scoff. "I was supposed to be undercover, you would've probably noticed I was a Satyr if I trampled them underhoof like they rightly deserved."

"Satyr! Yeah, you've said that before. You mean like Mr. Brunner's myths, right? But that's impossible. Satyrs aren't real."

Grover frowned. "Like Mrs. Dodds wasn't real? Like the Fates weren't real?"

"Oh, so now you conveniently remember Mrs. Dodds?" Percy spat sourly. "How strange, I have a vague memory of... oh what was it again," he trailed off thoughtfully, "Oh I remember, you lying to my face."

"I had to, the mist and- there are things you don't understand, Percy."

"Yeah, that's probably because no one's explaining shit," I pointed out, starting to feel a little irritated at both my mom and Grover for not really telling us what was happening. Not revealing our parentage to us when there weren't monsters trying to kill us was all well and good, but now that there were, it was essential for us to understand who we were.

"Rhea!"

"No, Mom, we deserve to know what's going on. Who are we running from? Does it have anything to do with dad?"

Percy's head shot up instantly, "We're not being followed by members of dad's crazy cult, are we? Oh, god, are we? I'm totally right, aren't I?"

"What?" Grover asked incredulously, as mom just sighed exasperatedly.

"Your father is not in a cult, sweetheart."

"You say that now, but-"

"Percy, seriously, shut up, our dad is not a cult leader. Mom, what's going on, and who's following us?"

"Wait, our dad? I thought she was your half-sister?"

"What gave you that idea?" Percy asked, voice tinted with mild incredulity.

"You said she was younger," Grover retorted almost accusingly.

"She is. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Then... how did... What...?" Grover sounded like someone had just pulled the rug out from under him. It was actually kind of funny and any other time I would have dragged it out and milked it for every drop of amusement I could get out of it, but it honestly wasn't the time or place and I also just really wanted to get on with things.

''I'm his twin sister, born four minutes after him."

"So you're both-"

"Yes, they are," our mom interrupted sharply, apparently still unwilling to let us know more.

I loved my mother very much but she really needed to stop bullshitting us. We were literally being chased by the stuff of legends, of violent and bloody legends. Why wasn't she telling us what we clearly needed to know to survive this new world we were about to be thrown in? What was her reason for hiding our heritage from us when it would be so much safer for us to know?

"We're both what? Is one of you going to start explaining what the fuck is going on any time soon, or should we just wait for whoever is after us to catch up and tell us?"

"Language, Rhea," mom sighed tiredly, making me feel somewhat guilty.

"I'd like to know, too, actually. What's going on, guys?" Percy sounded uncharacteristically calm about the whole thing. Whenever I used to imagine this day I always figured Percy would be the one demanding answers, and I'd be the one to calm him down. I never once thought it would be the other way around.

"You and your sister are not normal, Percy," Grover explained hastily. "Your mother never told you because the less you knew, the fewer monsters you'd attract."

"Monsters?" Percy sounded half incredulous half thoughtful, like Grover's explanation made sense, but he still wanted to have him checked out by a shrink just to be sure he wasn't insane.

"What else do you think Mrs. Dodds was?" Grover challenged halfheartedly. "We put Mist over the humans' eyes. We hoped you'd think that what happened with Mrs. Dodds was a hallucination. But it was no good. You started to realize who you are."

"Who exactly are we, and what does it have to do with whoever's after us?" I demanded, taking Percy's hand in mine for support.

"Rhea," my mom said, "there's too much to explain and not enough time. We have to get you to safety."

"Safety from what? No seriously, who's after us?" Percy growled with frustration. He was starting to sound annoyed after all.

"Oh, no one important, just a couple of pissed off gods," Grover supplied offhandedly.

"Grover!"

"Sorry Mrs. Jackson, but they deserve to know," he sighed, trying but failing to sound contrite.

"Gods?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yep," Grover said mock cheerfully. "Could you please drive faster Mrs. Jackson?" he added when a scary bellowing noise sounded behind us. The chase was obviously still on.

"When you say gods what pantheon are you talking about exactly, and why would they be after my brother? Did he offend the wrong person by being his usual tactless self?"

"Hey! I didn't do anything, and I'm plenty tactful, thank you very much - in fact it's my middle name," Percy defended indignantly. "Oh, whatever, if I did do something they probably deserved it," he added after hearing my disbelieving snort.

"Greek pantheon, and I don't think it's necessarily something that Percy said, more like something he possibly did. Maybe."

"I didn't do anything!"

"Greek," I continued, ignoring Percy's outburst with practiced ease. ''So you're basically telling us the Greek gods are real."

"Yes."

"What, since when?" Percy asked, still not able to wrap his head around what Grover was telling us.

"Oh, only a couple of thousand years, give or take."

"Seriously? You're not messing with us?"

"No Percy, I'm not, really."

"Alright so say you're telling the truth, why would they be after me? Wait a second - me or us? Are they after Rhea, too?"

He sounded worried, suddenly. My brother was such a lovable idiot. Someone tells him the Greek gods are real and after his life and he treats it like a joke. He gets even a hint of them being after me and he immediately sounds like an overprotective brother keeping his baby sister safe from harm.

"Yes, they're after both of you."

"Why? I mean, I can understand me possibly doing or saying something to offend them, but Rhea? What does she have to do with anything? Besides, nothing weird like Mrs. Dodds or those three old ladies happened to her."

He turned to me, "It didn't, right?" he demanded urgently, "You haven't been hiding things from me, have you?"

Well... hiding is such a big word...

"Nope. No hiding. Nothing weird happened to me."

If you ignored the fact that I died and was reborn in a world of fiction with all my memories intact, it was almost true.

"See?" Percy almost pleaded, "She has nothing to do with any of this, hell, I don't even know why I do, but whatever issues they have with me, they need to keep my sister out of it."

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, Percy," mom said, breaking her silence for the first time in a while. "It's not something you said or did, it's because of your father."

She sounded tired, scared and resigned. It gave me a bad feeling in my chest to hear my mother sound so broken.

"Did he do something then? Did his cult offend these... gods?"

"Percy," I sighed exasperatedly. Like a dog with a fucking bone, my big brother was.

"No, honey, it's because of who he is. They're after you and your sister because you're his children."

"Well who is he then?" Percy demanded exasperatedly. "Are you ever going to tell us? It seems like everyone knows but us."

Her silence made Percy sigh in frustrated anger as his hand tightened around mine. He was starting to lose his temper. I was honestly impressed he had kept a tight rein on it for as long as he had.

"So what are they going to do with us when they catch us?" I asked curiously. Kill us obviously, but it had to be asked because Percy needed to know how dangerous our situation truly was.

"Nothing good," my mother said almost inaudibly.

I turned to look at Percy. There was just enough light to notice he was staring out the window. I looked outside but it was too dark for me to see anything until a flash of lightning illuminated the scenery just enough for me to see a couple of 'PICK YOUR OWN STRAWBERRIES' signs on white picket fences.

"Where are we going?" I asked. "Is there a place we could go where we'd actually be safe? They're gods, right? I don't think we could just hide out at a sleazy motel somewhere and call it a day."

"We're going to the summer camp I told you and your brother about." Her voice was hoarse and tight due to suppressed tears, and I knew she was trying not to fall apart and scare us even more than we already were. "The place your father wanted to send you to."

"The place you didn't want us to go," I stated dryly. My mom made a hard left. We swerved onto a narrower road.

"Yes," she said tightly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Percy cut in. "Nothing about this does. We're in danger because our dad is someone important that decided to piss off the gods for some insane reason. The gods are real and after us because they're blaming us for something our dad did - which is so not fair, by the way. And they're trying to kill us by sending insane teachers and a couple of knitting grannies after me."

"Percy, I know it doesn't exactly make sense and it does sound insane when you say it like that, but please believe me when I tell you you're in danger here. Real danger," Grover said, trying to sound earnest but coming off as terrified instead.

"Oh, yes," Percy deadpanned, "I'm sure the three old ladies are actually ninjas in disguise that know ninety-nine ways to kill me with yarn and a couple of knitting sticks. I shudder at the thought."

I smiled in amusement at my brother's words. "I always knew it was the knitting sticks that would get you in the end," I joked, making Percy snort with laughter.

"How can you guys joke about something like this?! Percy, you are in grave danger!" Grover yelled.

"Because three old ladies cut some yarn," Percy said dubiously.

"They're not just three old ladies, Percy, they're the Fates. Do you even know what that means? They cut the yarn right in front of you. They usually only do that when you're about to... when someone's about to die."

"Woah, woah, wait a sec, you said 'you'," Percy said, sounding a little alarmed.

"No I didn't, I said-"

"Yes, you kind of did," I interrupted. "What are you trying to say here? Percy's going to die?"

"No, I didn't mean it that way."

"What the hell did you mean then?" Percy asked hotly.

"I meant 'you' as in someone."

"Didn't seem like it to me, it sounded like you meant 'you' as in 'me'."

"I didn't mean it like that! I'm trying to explain but you just don't seem to understand-"

"Maybe that's 'cause your explanation sucks ass," I interjected sourly.

"Oh god, I'm going to die aren't I? Chased down by killer grannies who will use their secret ninja ways to pincushion me to death with their knitting sticks," Percy said mock fearfully. "What a way to go."

I turned to my twin with an incredulous look on my face. "You are a fucking moron. You know that, don't you?"

"Yes," he agreed airily, "You may have mentioned that before."

"Kids!" my mom said, "This is no time to crack jokes."

She pulled the wheel hard to the right, and for the first time I got a glimpse of a figure she'd swerved to avoid, the monster following us - a dark fluttering shape now lost behind us in the storm. It made my stomach sink to my knees with the realization that this was actually happening. Suddenly all the joking I did mere minutes ago left a bad aftertaste in my mouth as I finally realized what I had only thought I knew before; that it wasn't just a story and it certainly wasn't all fun and games. We could actually die here.

Maybe if my life had taken the direct path the books I read had, then I would have felt comforted by the fact that everything was happening as it was supposed to, that I had a clear How-To guide, so to speak. But it wasn't. Enough things had deviated from the books and movies for me to know that literally anything could happen. We could truly die here. Percy could die. Mom could die. I should have known better than to just trust things would be fine if I followed the script. Where was the guarantee that it would? If anything I should have known that things wouldn't be the same because they clearly hadn't been.

"What the hell was that?" Percy asked, sounding truly scared for the first time that night.

"We're almost there," my mother said, ignoring his question. "Another mile. Please. Please. Please," she almost begged, making me feel even worse for being such an insensitive little bitch.

I glanced at Percy when he started leaning forward in anticipation, reminiscent of a jockey riding his racehorse to victory. I couldn't suppress the anxiety and worry I felt as I watched him, especially not knowing what he would have to go through in the future.

He was a child for fuck's sake. He had no business going on quests, risking his life, fighting someone else's war. I had never been angry at my father before. I had always understood his position and loved him despite of it. I had forgiven him unconditionally for everything we would suffer because of him.

I didn't feel very forgiving as I looked at my heartbroken mother, and my terrified big, but in a sense also, little, brother.

"We'll be fine," I whispered to Percy, silently thanking every god I could remember for sounding like I actually believed my own words.

"I don't know, Ray-Ray," he sighed tiredly. I hated how he sounded so much older than he was. "I've never seen mom so scared before."

"Me neither," I admitted. "But we'll be fine. We'll just have to stick together and watch each other's backs."

He squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Yeah. Don't forget to keep an eye on mom, though. And Grover."

"Of course," I whispered squeezing back, "That goes without saying."

The car took a sharp left turn plastering me against the side of the car when Percy and Grover slid against me. I looked outside the window and shuddered at the creepy ghost-like scenery illuminated by the brief lightning flash. I could hear a loud bellowing that I instinctively knew had nothing to do with the weather conditions. The monster was close.

Suddenly my world exploded with light, heat, and pain. I remembered this pain, and terror gripped me. It was a long time ago, but I would never forget the agony of being hit by lightning. The smell of ozone, the static electricity dancing across my skin. Darkness swallowed me as I heard the frantic cries of my brother, screaming my name.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Miss Jackson!" someone called sharply, with just a hint of irritation.

"What?" I shot up from my desk. I looked around the empty classroom in confusion until my eyes fell on Mr. Vogel.

"Sleeping during class, Miss Jackson. Why, you're just begging for detention aren't you?"

"No, Sir," I denied fervently, "I wasn't sleeping."

"You weren't?" he questioned, arching his eyebrow imperiously. "Then tell me, Miss Jackson, what were you doing that was taking up so much of your attention that you haven't even noticed your classmates leaving for their next lesson?"

What the hell was going on? Why did I fall asleep in his class? I knew better than to fall asleep in any class, let alone his. It would be suicide. Where in the seven hells was Dag, and more importantly, why didn't he prevent this shit from happening by waking my ass up with a well-aimed kick?

"I was..." flashes of light, a sharp pain and the smell of ozone permeating the air. "I was..."

"Yes, Miss Jackson? Do you, perhaps, need more time to come up with a convincing lie?"

I felt dazed and, for some unknown reason, terrified. I wasn't scared of what Mr. Vogel would do to me; no matter how unsettled I felt by just looking at him, the worst thing he could do was give me detention. I was scared of something else entirely.

"I..." A voice screaming my name, sounding so scared it made me sick to my stomach. The smell of blood.

"You what?" he asked, for once not sounding angry and demanding, but amused.

My eyes snapped to his face and I froze at the smile on his face. A familiar smile that made me squirm uncomfortably. A smile that was all teeth and kept giving me flashbacks to that creepy Cheshire Cat from American McGee's Alice. Suddenly images flooded my mind, things I had forgotten until I saw his smile.

"You!" I spat.

"Me," he replied, inclining his head.

"Alright, first of all, drop the creepy smile, you're freaking me out."

"Oh I know," his grin seemed to grow even wider, "It's fun."

"Whatever. You did something to make me forget!"

I was actually pretty pissed off. Not only did he make sure I'd be unable to look for information about him and effectively stopped me from trying to find out who he was, he messed with my memory, which, since it came with me from my previous life, was even more important to me than my body was. My memory was my identity, I needed it to keep my brother safe. What if he erased something important, something about the future? I wouldn't even knew he did it, because I wouldn't remember.

"Very good, little Rhea," he said, sounding like a master complimenting his dog for learning a new trick.

"What the hell is going on? Why would you do that?"

"It was too soon for you to know who I am," he shrugged unapologetically.

"Why would it matter? Who the fuck are you?" I spat angrily. I was scared and anxious, and there was something I was supposed to be doing, somewhere I was supposed to be.

"Have a care of how you speak to me, Rhea Jackson." Suddenly he was less creepy smiles, and more tempered steel. His eyes showed that he was the last person I should ever piss off.

I clenched my teeth in anger. I was never one to bow down to authority, not in my past life, and certainly not in this one.

"Who are you?" I asked, sounding a lot calmer than I felt.

He hummed approvingly at my change of tone. "It won't be any fun if I just tell you, you'll need to figure it out for yourself."

"How? You won't let me remember you exist. How am I supposed to look for someone when I've got no memories of them?" I was frustrated beyond reason. I was wasting my time talking to him while I should be... There was somewhere I was supposed to be. Someone was counting on me to-

"No. This time you'll be allowed to keep them."

"So, what, I'll wake up and remember everything I know about you?" I scoffed, not really believing his assurances.

"Yes."

"Why? Why wasn't I allowed to remember before, but I am now? What changed?"

"You're almost at the end of your journey, little Rhea, that's what's changed." His eyes seemed to sparkle with suppressed mirth. "Or should I say, the beginning of your journey?"

"What journey? I'm not going anywhere."

"You're not?"

"No! I'm too busy trying to flee from a fucking mythological cre- Oh my god!" I remembered everything. I knew where I needed to be, who was counting on me to have his back.

"Percy!"

"Ah," the creepy grinning bastard said, "It seems like you've finally remembered."

"My brother, he needs me." Something strange suddenly occurred to me. "Also, why the fuck am I sleeping when we're being chased by monsters?"

"Sleeping? Whatever gave you that idea?" he drawled casually.

'Fucking slick bastard,' I thought bitterly as I watched his eyebrow arch in one smooth movement. 'My brother's probably fighting a Minotaur, wondering why his baby sister developed a case of spontaneous narcolepsy, while this bastard prances around like his shit doesn't stink'.

"I don't prance around, thank you very much," he sniffed, seemingly offended. ''I glide."

I froze for a couple of seconds, suppressing my anger at having my mind invaded. "Are you seriously pulling an Edward Cullen on me?" I questioned incredulously. "At a time like this?"

"Well I, unlike you, have all the time in the world. And just so you know, nothing that comes from me stinks. It smells rather floral, to be honest. Like a bouquet of freshly picked wild flowers."

I honestly didn't know how to respond to that, so I just inhaled, exhaled, and let it go.

"Why am I sleeping?" I hissed through clenched teeth.

He sighed exasperatedly and looked at me as if he was speaking to a small child. "Think about this, sweet Rhea. You're fleeing from a monster in the middle of the night. You're scared out of your mind he'll catch up to you and kill your mother, brother, and the Satyr."

"Yeah..." I drawled slowly, "What's your damn point?"

"Why would you be sleeping?"

"I don't know!" I yelled, frustrated beyond reason. "That's what I'm asking you."

"You're not sleeping, you imbecile," he hissed. "You're unconscious."

Well, now that he put it that way it made a lot of sense. I kind of felt embarrassed for not figuring it out on my own. I was clearly having an off night.

"Oh."

"Yes," he mocked, "Oh."

"You know," he said slowly giving me a long searching look, "I'm starting to wonder if I didn't make a mistake choosing you as my Champion. I mean really, if you need my help figuring out something as simple as this-"

"Wait, Champion? What do you mean?" I interrupted sharply.

He frowned in mock-confusion. "Why, that's why you're here, my little Rhea. Haven't you wondered?"

"Yes! It's why I keep asking. What do you want from me? Why am I here? How did I get here, and more importantly, how are you here? This is my head isn't it?" I asked furiously, hoping I would finally get an answer.

He laughed, but it wasn't a pleasant sound. "When I say why you're here, little Rhea, I'm not talking about where you are now, I'm talking about why you were born."

"What?" I croaked hoarsely. What did he mean? He couldn't know, could he?

His smile chilled me to the bone. "Of course I know. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me. You and I both know the truth - there is no Rhea Jackson. Well, there wasn't until I interfered, at least."

I was frozen. I couldn't seem to get past the thought that he knew. He knew the truth about me. The truth I hoarded like a dragon did its treasure. How?

I looked at him, unable to speak, but wanting to ask a thousand questions.

"You know." It was the only thing that would leave my mouth, but it was the last thing I wanted to say.

"Of course I know," he said solemnly. There was no mirth in his eyes, or smile on his face. He was completely serious, and it was the only thing stopping me from exploding.

"How?"

"I brought you here. You were born due to my interference. You've read the books, seen the movies. Percy Jackson was an only child. Well, from his mother's side at least."

I swallowed heavily. "So you made sure I was born. Why? Do you want me to change things, to save people? Is that why I'm here?" I asked desperately.

I had asked myself this question a million times, but I could never answer it. In the end I came to the conclusion that it was just a fluke. That I wasn't meant to remember my past life, but a mistake was made, and I did. I couldn't explain why there was a Rhea Jackson when she was never in any book or movie, but I let it go knowing I would never get the answer. Now there was someone who could tell me why. More than that, he was responsible for my being here.

"Nah," he said casually. "It's rather simple, really. You're here because I was bored."

Silence. Complete silence.

"Oh don't look at me like that," he said, waving his hand dismissively through the air. "I was bored and I'm powerful enough to do anything I want. Why wouldn't I give Percy a sister? Might shake the plot up a bit, give the kid a bigger chance at a happy life, but more importantly, it might get rid of my boredom."

"So..." my voice broke and I cleared my throat, "So I'm here because you were bored. That's the answer I've been looking for all of my second life."

"Damn, kid, if I knew you'd been driving yourself nuts trying to figure out what happened I would have dropped in a little sooner and explained things to you. I only left you alone so you could settle in, give you a chance to find your bearings."

"For fourteen years?" I screeched.

"Pff, fourteen years is nothing," he sniffed dismissively. "I've been on longer bathroom breaks."

"Yeah right," I snorted disbelievingly. "You spend longer than fourteen years taking a dump but when it comes out it smells like freshly picked wildflowers? I call bullshit on that one."

"You can always come with me the next time I need to 'take a dump', as you eloquently put it," he threatened.

I shook my head in denial, unconsciously leaning back. "No thanks, I'm good."

"If you're sure?"

"Yep. Anyway," I continued, hastily changing the subject, "Why'd you pick me? What gives you the right to just kill me, and then snatch my soul up to send me to another world?"

"Kill you?" he questioned, giving an amused snort. "I didn't kill you little Rhea. You killed your own foolish self. You're the imbecile that went out during a lightning storm and got herself fried, which admittedly, should've given me a solid clue about your intelligence, or lack thereof in this case."

"Still," I scowled, ignoring his insult. "What gives you the right to take my soul, even if you didn't kill me?"

"You did. Have you forgotten your last thought, little Rhea, or should I say plea? I distinctly remember you begging for someone to help you. Do the words 'I don't want to die. Anything, anything but this.' ring any bells?"

I blanched in horrified realization. "B-but a lot of people beg when they're about to die, you can't tell me I'm the only one. Why did you choose me?"

"Honestly?" he asked cocking his head to the side and giving me a strange look.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration. "Look, if you tell me it's 'cause you were bored, I'll-"

"No, no, no," he hurriedly assured me. "Well, it's not the only reason," he amended. "I chose you because you were touched by water, lightning, and death, when I you heard your plea."

"What?"

"Think about it, little Rhea. You were completely drenched by the rain, sitting by a large body of water, when you were hit by lightning, which resulted in your death," he pointed out gleefully. "It was the perfect setup. I had thought about doing something like this for decades and then you came along. You were just begging to be used. It was just luck of the draw that you became Rhea, daughter of Poseidon. You could have just as easily become Hades' kid or Zeus'."

I winced at the thought, thanking everyone and their mother for making Poseidon my father instead of Zeus.

"Well, maybe not Zeus," he amended after seeing my reaction. "With the way you died in your last life... that would've just been cruel."

I nodded in agreement, glad and relieved that he understood.

He gave me a thoughtful look and an unholy light began to shine in his eyes, causing a shiver to go down my spine. "Or maybe that would've been even more interesting. Girl, killed by lightning in her previous life, now reborn to be the daughter of the lightning god. Oh you would've had a lot of trouble wielding a power that killed you. Think of all that angst. Damn, missed opportunities," he sighed regretfully before perking up and giving me a mischievous smile. "Maybe next time."

"Next time," I asked, suddenly feeling very faint.

"Never mind, forget I said that," he ordered distractedly. "Anyway, Percy was the only one of the trio without a sibling. Nico's Bianca did die, and Thalia's Jason was lost, even if they did stumble upon him later, but they both had siblings. Now Percy has one, too. You."

"I truly don't know what to say."

He frowned and seemed to be a little offended by something. "Well you could say thank you. I don't usually interfere with mortals and their lives or deaths, it says a lot about you that I did."

"I thought you said it was because of the water, lightning, and death thing?"

"Not only because of that. That only caught my attention. The rest was all you. You're an interesting mortal, little Rhea. I chose you because you seemed like the kind of person that would grab a chance like this with everything they had. You'll change worlds."

I looked at him, a little baffled at his worlds. "I'm truly nothing special. The only good thing I ever did to contribute to the world, was give birth to my children."

He smiled warmly. "Maybe you weren't anything special in your last life, but in this one, you'll be spectacular. You're worthy of being my Champion."

"That would have been more flattering if I didn't have the distinct feeling that the only requirements you have for a Champion is that they'll cure your boredom," I deadpanned.

"What's wrong what that?" he asked with mock-offence.

I smiled wryly. "Yeah, I'm not even going to... yeah. Anyway, Champion?"

"Yes. Gods, Titans, Primordials, beings like that can choose mortals to be their Champions. I have chosen you, Rhea Jackson, the moment I grasped your soul in the palm of my hand and caused you to be born to Sally Jackson."

Oh god. I didn't want to ask, but I had to know. "You're not my dad, are you? I mean all this talk about being the reason I was born...?"

"No. I am not your father, but you do belong to me in every way that counts."

"What, like a possession?" I frowned, feeling more than a little annoyed.

"No, little Rhea," he sighed. "I'm your Patron and you are my Champion. You don't understand yet, but you will. This is not something I can explain to you, you'll have to figure it out for yourself."

That didn't sound ominous at all. Ugh, I didn't need this shit. I needed time to think about this.

"Yes," he agreed, reading my mind as easily as reading the Sunday paper. "You do need a little time to let this all sink in. Normally since I've revealed myself to you and claimed you as my chosen Champion, this is the part where I would gift you with a weapon. But I decided to do things differently for now. You won't get your weapon until you call for me."

"What? Why?" I asked, a little disappointed at not being given a weapon.

"Many reasons, but mainly because you have to earn it."

"So all I have to do is figure out who you are, call your name, and you'll give me a weapon?"

He smiled. "Yes."

"Alright. Anything else?"

"Because you are one of Poseidon's children you have powers over his domain. As you are my chosen Champion I will allow you to have power over my domain as well. How much power will be up to you."

"What does that mean, why would I be able to choose?" This sounded a little too good to be true.

"Usually my Champion would be granted a small amount of power from me, unlike my children who are born quite powerful, mortal and immortal alike. But you, you're a special case. Though not a child from my loins I'm the sole reason for your existence." He gave me a searching stare, hungry almost. "Keep me entertained and I'll keep you alive. You'll be my new favorite," his lips stretched into a wide smile, but it was anything but nice.

"I can't believe you managed to say 'child from my loins' with a straight face," I muttered, trying to suppress the shiver that crawled down my spine from his creepy smile and hungry eyes.

I knew that being a god's favorite was anything but a good thing. Just look at the whole Aphrodite/Percy situation. She'd mess with his love life just because she liked him. Gods were not human. They didn't think like us, they didn't feel like put demigods through literal hell on a whim, just because they could.

He snorted in genuine amusement at my muttered words and he suddenly seemed much more human.

"Just keep in mind, Princess, power can be dangerous if you don't use it right. Hone the ability I gave to you, because it's a double-edged sword. If you don't learn to control it to a degree where you can use it to cut your enemy with it, you'll inevitably become the one being cut by your own power."

I frowned at the ominous words. Whatever powers being his Champion granted me, I was pretty sure I didn't want them. And gave? Why past tense? Did I already have this power?

"Since birth," he answered my unvoiced questions. That mind-reading shit was going to get old real fast. "Whatever I have granted you, or will grant you in the future, will also be a clue to you. It will help you uncover my identity faster. Just think, my little Rhea, about which power doesn't belong, and you'll be one step closer to finding out who I am."

"Can't you give me a real clue?"

He grinned mischievously. "I already have, but it's hidden and you'll have to understand to get it."

Cryptic fucking bastard. I was pretty sure he wasn't going to tell me anything, and I was more than anxious to return to Percy. My brother needed me. He'd be heartbroken after losing our mom, and he didn't have the knowledge that she wasn't really dead to comfort him, like it did me.

Hell, even with knowing everything I did, I was still worried. What if this was different, too, and the Minotaur really had killed mom? What if things changed too much because of my existence, and my mother died? I wasn't even there to do anything to help. What the hell good was all my foreknowledge if I couldn't even save my mom with it?

'Gods, I wish I could have just been there to help Percy.'

I tried to repress the panic and sick feeling in my gut, at the thought of my mother's body being mangled by the Minotaur.

"Fine," I snapped, as I tried to breathe past the nausea. "Can you send me back? My brother's probably done fighting the Minotaur by now and our mother is probably... gone. I need to be awake. I have to comfort Percy and make him understand that it's not his fault."

I frowned absent-mindedly as I thought about Percy's reaction to losing our mom. "Hell, knowing him, I'll probably have to hit him over the head a couple of times, just to make it sink in. I'll also need to keep an eye on him to make sure he's not trying to come up with one of his usual dumbass plans."

I looked up at him expectantly, hoping he'd stop trying to play games with me for his own amusement. I really needed to wake up. I was starting to have all kinds of terrifying visions about slipping into a coma, with the result of Percy going off the deep end.

He looked back at me with a knowing smile, like he knew something I didn't, which at this point didn't surprise me at all. But did he really have to flaunt it?

He slowly walked towards the desk I was still sitting at. "If you've got it, flaunt it, my little Rhea," he said as he leaned down to give me a quick kiss on the forehead.

"See you soon, Princess."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rhea, oh god, Rhea wake up! Mom! Mom, there's blood!"

"Stop yelling," I groaned, opening my eyes to see my brother's panicked face. Damn. If I knew how much pain I'd be in once I woke up I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to ask him to send me back.

"Percy!" I heard the sound of a window being shattered. "Get your sister up and climb through the window. Hurry, he's coming back."

"Woah, is that mom?" I asked Percy confusedly. I ignored his worried frown as I looked around trying to find out where the hell I was. "What's mom doing here?"

"Come on, Rhea," Percy muttered. "That thing is still out there. We need to go."

"Percy, hurry!" mom yelled, anxiety clear to hear in her tone of voice.

"Alright, whatever, just tell me what's going on; give me the Cliff's note version."

Percy nodded and tried to get me out through the window as fast as possible, muttering a litany of the word 'hurry' under his breath. "Seriously, Rhea, take off your damn bags - our stuff is not worth your life," he hissed exasperatedly, when one of my bags got caught on the shift stick. "Leave them in the damn car; we can come back for them later."

"We'll be fine," I said mulishly, ignoring his half exasperated, half annoyed sigh as I pulled myself free. "Now talk. What the hell's happening?"

"The car got hit by lightning. There's a huge hole in the roof," Percy explained, panting for breath as he pulled me through the window." Gabe's gonna be pissed," he added, with a satisfied mutter.

I didn't get it, what the hell was going on? I'd been unconscious for a lot longer than a couple of seconds, but somehow the outside world seemed to have been set on pause. There was no way that more than thirty seconds passed between the time we were hit by lightning and the moment I woke up with Percy panicking at the sight of my blood.

I could feel said blood streaming from a cut on my forehead, it stung like a bitch.

"Percy, Rhea, over here!" my mother yelled. It was too dark to see clearly, but I could hear Grover deliriously crying for food, a little farther ahead. Crazy Satyr.

Percy grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly. "Can you walk?" he asked urgently. "Do you feel alright? Are you dizzy?"

"M'fine, Perce," I muttered truthfully. That was another thing that was weird, I was bleeding and the cut did sting, but somehow I still felt fine. Not at all like someone who'd just been unconscious for a long while. That shouldn't be possible.

Thunder rumbled through the sky and a loud explosion sounded behind us. I screamed as Percy and I were propelled forwards by a large and very hot shock wave. I frantically turned to my groaning brother, ignoring my own pain.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," Percy moaned, "But Gabe's gonna be really, really pissed."

I turned to see what he meant and almost choked as I looked at the remnants of Gabe's once beautiful Camaro. The lightning had almost completely destroyed it, and what was left of it would soon be consumed by the fire.

"I told you we should take our bags with us," I hissed in vindication. "Aren't you glad you listened to your baby sister?"

"Whatever," he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Where are we, anyway?" I asked, trying to see through the harsh rain.

"I don't know," Percy said with an air of frustration. "Mom's over there, Grover got hurt."

"Let's go talk to mom. Maybe she'll tell us something useful and we'll finally be able to make sense of this crazy night."

Percy's disbelieving snort told me everything he thought about that suggestion. "I doubt it," he said, voice teetering on the edge of bitterness. "She hasn't told us anything useful so far. Why start now?"

I wanted to say something to comfort him, tell him things would be alright and mom would tell us everything we needed to know, but I didn't want to tell more lies than necessary. I could understand his frustration and anger with our mother, but was I really any better than her? I was keeping the same secret from him our mother was. My secret was even bigger, really.

"Percy, Rhea!" mom said as we finally arrived at her side. "Thank the gods, you're safe." She tried to touch my face to look for the source of the blood, but I winced and cringed away.

"I'm fine, Mom," I muttered, as she fluttered her hand helplessly around my cut. "How's Grover?"

The good thing about the car being on fire - other than imagining Gabe's face when he'd find out what happened to his beloved car - was that it gave us some light to see what was going on. It wouldn't last, not with way it was raining cats and dogs but for now at least, we could see Grover clearly.

"Not good. He hit his head when the lightning hit the car, I think he has a concussion," she sighed, worriedly, giving us a grim smile. "He also seems delirious," she added, when Grover cried for food again.

"No, that's just Grover," Percy shrugged, giving his friend a worried frown. "He's always like that. He eats when he's scared, hurt, or nervous. He eats all the time really. You should see him on enchilada day at school."

"That might be true, but he still needs a doctor and so does your sister. Percy, you need to get Rhea and Grover and leave," my mother whispered urgently. "The monster's coming."

"What-" Percy started, but halted as we heard a frightening roar behind us. We both turned to look, and I couldn't help but gape in shock. It was... indescribably disgusting. It was everything I've ever feared a monster would look like and hoped it didn't. The book's description didn't do it justice, and the movie depiction was so far off target that it would have been laughable if I wasn't staring it straight in the face.

"It's... It's," I started, unable to find the words to describe it.

"Pasiphae's son," my mother finished, saying the last thing I would have said.

"No it's-"

"Wearing bright white Fruit of the Looms," Percy interrupted with a horrified whisper. "Even worse than that, it's the only thing its wearing."

"No!" I protested, before giving it a second thought, "Well, yes, but I mean it's-"

"Food!" Grover bleated deliriously.

"Oh forget it," I sighed in defeat.

"What do we do?"

"Run!" mom yelled. "Take Grover and run."

"Hell no!" Percy and I yelled simultaneously.

I truly think my influence on Percy's life could be seen most in his vocabulary. Percy Jackson from the books rarely swore, if ever. He even called the Minotaur names like 'Ground Beef' trying to piss him off. My brother on the other hand would have no problem calling the Minotaur something like son of a bitch, or donkey fucker. I couldn't help but wonder if it made me weird for feeling proud of my brother's occasionally filthy mouth.

"Kids, you don't understand-"

"Mom," Percy interrupted tiredly, "At this point we don't care. We won't leave you alone. If we run, we run together."

"Percy," mom started, but there was no time. The monster was upon us and I had never been so scared in my life. The smell alone made me want to run for the hills. The smell of spoiled meat would in my mind forever be associated to maggots, and I had a very irrational fear for those disgusting little worms. He wore it like some women wore an expensive perfume - excessively.

"This night is just getting better and better," I sighed resignedly. I was pretty sure I could hear the sound of someone laughing at me in the back of my mind. It sounded suspiciously a lot like the Not-Mr. Vogel dude that kept stalking me in my dreams, and made me his 'Champion'. That, even more than the rampaging Minotaur, made me want to run for the hills.

'If he's laughing it means he isn't bored, and if he isn't bored... Gods, I hope I'm getting out of this one with all of my limbs intact.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Do you guys have any ideas about who Mr. Vogel is?
> 
> Answer: I'm currently stuck in the crossover section of Lord of the Rings. I'm also re-reading The Wedding Crashers by DasMervin. A Twilight/Supernatural crossover that will make you piss your pants up to five times per chapter. It's a must-read for Leah Clearwater fans. If you decide to read, let me know, so I'll have someone to talk to about it.
> 
> Question: Are you male or female? For some insane reason I'm always assuming that you guys are all women. I don't think that's right though, and it has made me curious about my readers.


	7. Standing in Deep Water

"What. The. Actual. Fuck." Percy breathed, sounding very scared. "That thing looks like the Minot-"

"Pasiphae's son," mom interrupted firmly, making me wonder about this Pasiphae chick, and if it hurt giving birth to something that ugly. "Don't say its name, Percy. Names have power."

"Right..." Percy said, his skepticism momentarily overcoming his fear, "Of course they do."

"You need to run," she said firmly. "If you make it to that tree," she pointed up at a pine tree perched on top of a hill - Thalia's tree, "You'll be safe."

"What about you, why can't you go with us? Percy asked, worriedly.

"I'm not allowed into camp," she sighed resignedly.

"Why the hell not?"

"I can't, Percy. I'm sorry. It's just the way things are." Mom sounded so sad and scared, but also resigned to her fate, as if she knew she was going to die.

"You can't get inside this camp as in there will be a magical force field that will repel you? Or you can't because you won't be allowed, no matter who's trying to kill you?" I asked, trying to get to the heart of the matter.

"A little bit of both, but you're right, Rhea. I'm physically incapable of stepping through their 'force field'; only people like you can. That's why you'll be safe there."

I watched the monster coming towards us and wondered how she could say that with a straight face. Looking at the thing following us and knowing it was only the first in a long line of monsters wanting to kill us, I wondered if we would ever be safe again. Or at the very least, regain the illusion of safety, because now that I was facing the Minotaur I'd finally understood something a snake in our bed and one-eyed monsters never made me realize; we were never safe – I only believed we were.

"Alright, this is the plan; Percy, Grover, and I will run towards the tree-"

"What?!" Percy cried in outrage. "You can't seriously believe that these people have a fucking force field to keep people out! It's bullshit, Rhea. This is not a fucking SciFi movie. Mom is coming with us!"

"After everything that's been going on lately? Yes, I do believe, Percy. So shut up and don't interrupt me, we don't have the time," I hissed through clenched teeth, terrified in the knowledge that time was running out.

"Mom, you'll have to run, too. You can't come with us, I get that, but it doesn't mean you should stay here. Especially not if we make it to the tree. He'll come after you if he can't find us."

"No, Rhea, that's not going to happen. I need to know that you're safe first. I will run once I see you've all reached the tree safely, but not a second sooner," mom protested.

"Then we will all die, because Percy and I won't leave knowing you're still out here," I said flatly, while Percy nodded in agreement.

"No-"

"Mom. We won't leave until you do. If you want to keep us safe, you'll run." Mom tried to argue, but I continued quickly, already knowing what she was going to say. "You're not abandoning us, and we're not abandoning you. We won't know if you're safe, and you won't know if we are. We're gonna have to trust each other to keep to the plan."

"Rhea," Percy started hurriedly, stumbling over his words. "I don't get it – why would you just – we can't just leave mom behind!"

"We have to," I said softly. "If we don't, we all die. Do you really think mom will leave any other way? If you have an idea, please tell me," I pleaded.

Outwards I was calm and collected, but on the inside I was panicking, my mind going around in circles trying to come up with a plan that would have the least chance of someone getting killed. I was so tempted to just let it play out, let my mom be captured by the Minotaur. We'd win her back from Hades in the end, things would end up alright – probably.

But on the off chance that I was wrong and the Minotaur would just kill mom if he caught her, I wanted to give her a chance to run. If she was caught by him later and captured then we'd follow the book scenario. If he killed her-

I couldn't even think past that.

"No, no, listen, Rhea, I've got a better idea. You take Grover and run towards the Star Trek tree, and I'll go with mom," Percy said, with a rushed tone of voice.

"You can't, Percy!" mom protested adamantly. "You can't leave your sister, but it's not only that. The monster is hunting you and Rhea specifically, it's tracking your scent. If you go with me, we won't be safe, neither of us will be."

I almost groaned at that. I knew the Minotaur was hunting me and Percy and why. I also knew that if he couldn't get to me and Percy, he would turn around and follow mom. What I had forgotten about was that he'd probably find her easily because she smelled like us. That was going to be a problem.

"Mom, when you leave, head towards water. If he's tracking us by smell, once he can't find us he'll come looking for you. The water might wash off our scent and disguise you trail. It works with bloodhounds, so it's worth a shot. The rain will probably confuse your scent too."

I was also pretty sure that if she made it to the water dad would protect her. He couldn't do anything to interfere with his children, but he could protect his lover.

"This sounds like one of my brilliant plans," Percy muttered angrily.

"Well, it's all we've got right now." I turned to my mother expectantly. "Do you agree with my plan?"

"Rhea, I don't think-"

"Mom," In interrupted sharply, "We don't have the time. Yes or no?"

The air was heavy with silence. I could only pray that she'd listen to reason; I didn't know what else to do.

"...Yes," she croaked resignedly, making me breathe a heavy sigh of relief. I was honestly surprised she even listened to me. As far as she knew I was just a child and I didn't know what I was talking about. I must have sounded more confident than I felt.

"Alright," I breathed. "Then it's show time. Mom, you're going to have to run now."

"I-I don't – Are you sure, Rhea, Percy?"

"Yes," Percy said steadily. "It's time for you to go. Don't look back, Mom. If we even think for one second that you didn't run, or you're about to come back, we'll do the same."

Mom didn't say anything, she just grabbed us and hugged us tightly. I ignored the shivers that racked her body and hugged back with all my strength.

"I love you both so much," she choked.

"I love you too, Mom. Please don't worry about us, we'll look out for each other. Just run, and don't look back," Percy sniffed, sounding terrified.

"Kids, listen to me. The pine tree is the boundary line. Once you reach it you need to get over that hill and you'll see a big farmhouse down in the valley. Yell for help. Don't stop running until you reach the door."

A bone-chilling scream sounded behind us, telling us our time was up. The Minotaur was turning his ugly ass head from left to right, searching for his prey.

"What's behind the door?" I asked, feeling sick to my stomach with fear as I watched the monster, "The National Guard?" How the fuck did the other Percy defeat this thing? We were so going to die.

"People that can help you."

"Do they happen to have a couple of bazookas lying around?" I asked faintly.

"Be quiet," Percy hissed at me. "Mom, what's he doing? Doesn't he see us?"

"His sight and hearing are terrible," she explained. "He relies on his sense of smell. I think that maybe the rain is affecting it adversely; like water with a bloodhound. It probably won't last, he'll figure out where we are soon enough."

The bull-man bellowed in rage. He picked up the burning remains of Gabe's Camaro by the torn roof, raised the car over his head and threw it down the road. It slammed into the wet asphalt and skidded in a shower of sparks for about half a mile before coming to a stop.

Percy whimpered beside me. Oh yeah, we were definitely going to die.

"Mom, it's time to leave," I said reluctantly.

Mom seemed to want to do anything but leave, and honestly, I wanted her to stay, too, if only to hide behind her and let her take care of it. I had no qualms playing the 'I'm a child, please take care of me' card.

"Kids, before I go," my mom said. "When he sees us, he'll charge. Wait until the last second, then jump out of the way – directly sideways. He can't change directions very well once he's charging. Do you understand?"

Huh. If I remembered correctly, those were her exact words to Percy in the book. On one hand, this meant that finally something was going the way it was supposed to. On the other hand, figures that with my shitty luck it had to be something like this.

"We will. I promise, Mom. We love you, but it's time to go."

"Yes. Goodbye, Percy, Rhea. Stay safe, and take care of each other," she said tearfully before turning around and running away.

Seeing my mom leave should have made me happy and relieved; it was my plan that made her go in the first place, but it only made me feel lost and scared.

Thankfully, or to be honest, anything but thankfully, the Minotaur stopped sniffing around like a deranged dog and focused his attention on us, forcing me to push everything but the very realistic threat of our imminent deaths to the back of my mind. Terror froze me in place as he gave a blood-chilling howl and began to charge towards us.

"Uh-oh," Percy whispered, fearfully. "I think he found us."

"Run," I barked harshly, as I took off my bags and threw them on the ground. "Get Grover to the tree, I'll distract him."

Knowing Percy he would have told me 'fuck no!' and then tried to have an hour long debate about why he should be the one to distract the monster, I gave him no choice. As soon as the words left my mouth, I ran towards the Minotaur, ignoring every instinct that screamed at me to run the other way and do it fucking fast.

I ran towards him until the smell of rotting meat was so overwhelming it almost made me puke, and veered off to the right, hoping he would follow me, and if he didn't, that Percy was smart enough to act and get Grover and himself out of there.

I turned my head slightly only to see how Percy grabbed Grover and pulled him back, his body sliding through the wet muddy grass like a soccer player doing a sliding.

I had been so busy watching Percy pull Grover out of the way that I almost forgot about the Minotaur. Almost; his smell was so overpowering that it actually acted like a proximity alarm. It gave me enough warning to get the hell out of dodge.

The fugly bastard was running straight at me. To be completely honest, a big part of me wanted to panic and freak the fuck out, run the other way, maybe even pray to my daddy to come rescue me. The only reason I didn't was because of Percy. I couldn't leave him. No matter how much I wanted to run for the hills, abandoning my brother was never an option.

I waited until he was almost close enough to grab me, and dove to the left. I was slower than I thought I'd be because I felt my right side slide against him, but I was fast enough that the contact didn't hurt, so I took that as a win. I slid through the mud and quickly crawled to my feet as soon as my momentum stopped.

The Minotaur had already doubled back and was heading towards me again. He was closer than I thought he'd be. For someone so big, he was faster than I expected.

"Rhea, Run!" Percy yelled, from behind me, still pulling Grover through the wet grass and up the hill.

The Minotaur stopped charging towards me when he heard my brother, his head twisting sharply towards his location. My brother really needed to learn how to keep his mouth shut. I could practically see the Minotaur deliberating about which one of us to attack. I could only be grateful he couldn't see very well, because Percy with an injured Grover made a much easier target.

"You know!" I yelled at the Minotaur, "I think one of my relatives killed you a couple of thousand years back. Remember when you were guarding the Labyrinth? Theseus was his name."

I knew that Theseus was my brother since he was the son of Poseidon, but I couldn't claim him as such because I wasn't sure if the gods were aware of our parentage. What I was pretty sure of, however, was that the gods watched the lives of demigods like stay-at-home moms watched daytime television.

The Minotaur howled in anger at my words, sending a bone-chilling shiver down my spine.

"Oh," I breathed, when he forgot about Percy and fixed all his attention on me. "Bad idea. Very fucking bad idea." I turned and ran back to Percy as fast as I could, yelling his name in such a high-pitched voice, I was pretty sure only dogs could hear me.

"Oh, I am so dead," I gasped mournfully when I smelled the stench that indicated the beast was right behind me. My instincts were screaming at me. I suddenly veered off to the left. Not a second too soon it would seem, because all that was left of the patch of grass I was previously running on was a huge crater, caused by the Minotaur's fist.

I watched the destruction with wide eyes before uttering a heartfelt, "Oh, hell no," and started running towards Percy's screaming voice again, as fast as my legs would carry me. I could only hope that Percy had made it to Thalia's tree, and had pulled the injured Grover safely inside the barrier. I couldn't fight something like this alone, especially not without any weapons. And running around trying to dodge his deadly fists was suicide. I was lucky I lasted as long as I had. I had my ADHD to thank for that; it made me react instinctively.

No, my best bet was to run towards Percy so we could fight it together. My brother killed it on his own in the book and movie, a couple of injuries notwithstanding. That had to count for something, at least. With my help he might not even be injured this time. We just had to make sure not to be hit by his fists of fury 'cause I was not ready to die, especially not by being flattened by a monster that could punch like Senju Tsunade's apprentice.

The Minotaur's howls sounding not far behind me made me run even faster, knowing that he was coming closer by the second. The bastard was fast, I'd give him that.

"Rhea!" Percy's voice called from a distance, too far a distance to be of any help. I had limited options. I knew my mother's plan wouldn't work a second time, it didn't in the books, and this Minotaur seemed a lot smarter and more focused than the fictional one. This was bad for me, especially since his focus seemed to be on erasing me from existence. Hmm, that crack I made about Theseus defeating him was probably not one of my best moments.

Well, what was done was done. Now I just had to make sure to live long enough to learn from my mistakes.

"Why did I think I could do this?" I muttered breathlessly, "I'm meant to be a fucking soccer-mom, for crying out loud, I'm not supposed to do crazy shit like this."

The Minotaur was apparently more pissed off than I thought – which just goes to show that I really should start watching what comes out of my mouth before it ends up killing me. He wasn't even trying to just kill or injure me anymore, he skipped that and was going straight to complete annihilation. I turned just in time to see one of his freakishly large hands coming my way. I tried my best to get out of his range, and I did succeed a little – which was probably why I wasn't dead. I still found out from very close and personal experience that getting even a glance from a Minotaur's backhanded bitch-slap was far more unpleasant than what I had imagined.

I could dazedly hear Percy scream my name as the bitch-slap connected and threw me backwards through the air until I collided, quite painfully I might add, with a tree.

I don't think that I had ever felt such pain before in my life. I would have said both my lives, but being hit by lightning was still at the top of that list – and childbirth, let's not forget that excruciating experience. I could taste blood in my mouth, my back hurt from hitting the tree and I was pretty sure I'd broken a couple of ribs.

The Minotaur howled in what I could only guess was victory since it seemed a little less frustrated than his 'I'll catch you and pulverize you, just you wait' howl. He slowly walked towards me like a serial killer in a horror movie, as I tried to relearn how to breathe. I moved and tried to get my ass out of there, but every movement was painful and made me feel nauseous. I probably had a concussion on top of everything else. I could only look at the monster as he came closer and think about how fleeting life truly was. Even I, who had died once before, had somehow forgotten how sudden Death could find you. And how helpless and insignificant it made you feel in the grand scheme of things.

Suddenly, Percy was there and my death didn't seem all that imminent anymore, but unfortunately, his did.

"Hey, son of a donkey-fucking whore!" my beloved older brother yelled, running into sight waving around his red rain jacket like a bona fide bull-fighter.

Apparently I really did have a detrimental influence on his language; probably his intelligence, too, if what he was currently doing was any indication.

"Why don't you go pick on someone your own size?" Yep, definitely his intelligence, too.

The Minotaur, I don't know how to describe this, only to say that he simply froze. His big ugly mug slowly moved from me towards Percy and I was pretty sure that if he was able to shoot fire from his eyes, Percy would be incinerated, after which the Minotaur would gleefully piss on his ashes. He was obviously a momma's boy and insulting her was probably the last fucking mistake anyone ever made.

He locked eyes with my brother and I could practically hear Percy gulp and go, 'Oh shit,' before the Minotaur turned towards him and charged. Percy, in a very surprising turn of events, didn't turn and run, which is what I would have done in a heartbeat. He stayed and tried to keep out of the monster's range waving around his rain jacket like it was going out of style. My heart was beating a drum solo in my throat, worried that I was about to see my brother die. I fought back the nausea and tried to climb back to my feet but it wasn't going all that well. I ended up on my hands and knees, gagging as I tried to keep myself from throwing up.

"Fuck. This. Shit." I grunted through gritted teeth as I climbed back to my feet with the help of a somewhat battered tree.

I took a shaky step forwards that was so painful I almost fell back to my knees, but I gritted my teeth and persevered. 

"Pain is nothing I can't handle," I muttered to myself. "Pain is my friend, it lets me know I'm still alive." It didn't lessen the hurt, the only thing that did was making me think about Percy dying. Now that was a pain I never wanted to experience. Ever. So I could suck it up if it meant preventing my brother's untimely death.

I took a couple more steps, this time a lot more balanced, and stumbled out from under the tree's protective branches into the pouring rain. Strangely enough – or not so strange since it did make a lot of sense – the rain made me feel better. The headache and nausea receded and my breathing eased somewhat. I also felt rejuvenated, like drinking a cold can of Fanta after a long day.

My brother wasn't doing all that well against the tighty-whitey wearing monstrosity. He was getting tired and he couldn't keep dodging forever. My prediction proved correct, since only moments after, the Minotaur got lucky and punched my brother with one of his meaty fists.

Whenever I looked back on it, all I could say was that I panicked. I didn't think about the gods probably eating the Olympian equivalent of popcorn while watching us fight for our lives. I didn't think about the consequences of my actions, and hell, even if I did I wouldn't have cared. I only saw my brother's life in danger. And then I got angry.

I felt a sharp tug in the pit of my stomach and the rain seemed to stop for a few moments. It looked as in someone took a giant invisible vacuum cleaner and sucked up every drop of rain it could reach. I don't really remember how I did it, only that the water came together in a giant ball that flew towards the Minotaur and hit him in the chest, slinging him away from my brother.

"Percy," I yelled breathlessly, as I tiredly made my way towards him. I breathed a silent sigh of relief when I heard him groan. "Percy, are you okay?"

"I don't know," he answered dazedly, "It depends. Did you just become a waterbender, or did that freak hit me harder than I thought?" he groaned, sounding adorably confused. "You're not secretly the Avatar, are you?"

I choked out a hysterical laugh. "You're fine. Now get up, he'll come back any second."

"No seriously, Sis. Am I suddenly going to develop powers too? Maybe become an airbender?" he asked as he grimaced and hissed while getting up from the ground. "I wouldn't mind, but I'd prefer being an earthbender. They can create earthquakes; that is so much cooler than flying."

My brother was insane. If I ever had any doubts they were now long gone. I did appreciate what he was trying to do, though. He always tried to make me feel better when I was scared, worried or sad. It usually worked, too.

"I still think you're secretly the Avatar," Percy muttered softly.

A howl sounded behind me and I knew the Minotaur would be back soon. Helpless tears prickled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. I had learned a long time ago that tears didn't do shit.

Percy squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Run towards the tree, Rhea, I'll hold him off," he stated bravely. He always tried to protect me, even if he was only four minutes older than me, and twenty-seven years younger. But not this time.

"Over my dead body," I growled as I turned to the approaching Minotaur. "Listen up, you horny fucker... Wait, that came out wrong! I meant 'horny' 'cause you have horns, not anything else!"

The Minotaur wasn't all that eager to stop and listen to what I had to say. He kept stalking towards us in his 'I'm going to annihilate you and then possibly violate your corpse' kind of way. Creepy bastard.

"Rhea, what the hell are you doing?" Percy yelled anxiously. I honestly had no answer for him, so I just ignored him.

My anger continued to grow, but I was also completely exhausted. The 'waterbending' trick took too much out of me, and I was already tired and injured. Didn't mean I was going to let him kill my brother.

"I am too young to die!" I screamed as I ran towards him. Time seemed to slow down, or my brain was speeding up, I wasn't sure. "I haven't even kissed anyone yet!" He slammed his fist down, trying to flatten me, and I somehow managed a fit of acrobatics by jumping and running up his arm. "I haven't even had sex yet!" I yelled when I reached his shoulder and grabbed one of his horns. "And I am not dying without getting fucking laid, you hear me?" I screamed as I pushed with all my might, trying to snap the horn off his head.

I was surprised but also not when the Minotaur roared as the thing actually snapped – it had happened in the story, after all. But my victory was short-lived. The next thing I knew I was pulled from the beast and falling. I had just enough time to think that I probably should have reconsidered that plan before the Minotaur drop-kicked me into a tree.

"Rhea!" Percy roared, enraged.

I don't remember what happened next. I just laid on my back, looking at the sky, and felt my body throb in pain. I could hear the monster roaring and Percy yelling and cursing, the sound of a fight. The Minotaur giving one last howl until there was nothing. I heard more yelling, two voices.

And then silence.

Until, suddenly, "Rhea," he said softly, hesitantly, as if he was scared of what he would find. He coughed harshly and groaned before coming closer, his hand touching my cheek. "Rhea?" He sounded scared now, probably because I wasn't answering him.

"It's okay, Rhea, it's okay," Percy said, trying to sound reassuring but failing. "I'll get you to that stupid camp our stupid father wanted us to go to, and I'll find you a doctor. You'll be fine, sweetheart." He smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. "I already sent Grover for help." He coughed again, and I could see blood on his lips.

His smile fell when I only blinked at him, not saying anything. I was trying to figure out how this was my life.

"Rhea?" he begged, trying and failing to suppress the hiss that left his mouth as he shifted his position and came closer. "Please say something so I'll know you're okay."

He didn't sound good. "Perseus," I whispered hoarsely. "I think I've just proven you wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"If I was secretly the Avatar, I would have used my air bending power to stop myself from flying into the damn tree."

He released a surprised chuckle before groaning. "Don't make me laugh, Ray-Ray, it fucking hurts," he whined. If he had more to say, I didn't hear it. My injuries and exhaustion finally caught up to me and I fell into darkness.

.

Waking up after being thrown into a couple of trees by the legendary Minotaur hurt much less than I thought it would. As the first item on my 'what to do when woken up after being attacked by a mythological creature' list, I wiggled my toes and fingers, making sure everything was still attached and working in the way it should be, and heaved a relieved breath when everything seemed in working order. Now on to second item on my list; locating and possibly retrieving my troublesome big brother.

"You're awake," someone said, making me look up in surprise.

"I suppose I am," I said thoughtfully as I studied the boy standing in the doorway of what seemed to be an infirmary. "Any chance you'll share and tell me where I woke up, and how long I was out for?"

"You were only unconscious for give or take eighteen hours, and you're in Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood. Right. Because that clears up everything," I deadpanned. "Where's Percy?"

"The boy you arrived with, right?" he asked, with a slight southern accent. His sky-blue eyes never strayed from my face as he studied me with a kind intensity.

"Yeah, my brother. Is he okay?"

"Your brother, huh? I figured as much, since you kinda look alike. Same father?" he asked, muttering something about 'Stoll brothers' and 'please not another pair' when I nodded affirmatively. "Yeah, he's okay," he sighed, running a hand through his golden blond hair with an air of exhaustion. "He hasn't woken up yet, but he's going to be alright. A couple of my siblings worked on him."

He stepped into the room and walked over to a closed curtain, opening it so I could see a bed identical to mine; only this one was occupied by my twin brother. Any tension and worry I felt was lifted at the sight of him.

"Worked on him?" I asked softly while my eyes studied Percy carefully, cataloging every injury I could see. I was relieved to find that he really did look fine. There were some cuts and bruises on his face, but they seemed to be in a state of advanced healing and looked like they were days old instead of hours.

I reluctantly lifted my eyes from Percy and turned back to the blue-eyed boy. If I was right, and I was pretty sure I was, then this guy was one of Apollo's kids. He looked like Apollo and his kids were described in the books; blond hair, blue eyes, athletic build, and had a bit of a 'surfer-dude' vibe.

"Yeah. Apollo is our dad, so we usually do the healing around Camp Half-Blood," he explained patiently, looking at me closely, as if he was waiting for something.

"Ah, Apollo, the god of the sun, prophecies, music and healing..." I nodded decisively, happy to have guessed right, "Makes sense."

The boy exhaled loudly, eyes wide with surprise. "Wait, you believe me?"

"About what?" I blinked confusedly.

"About the gods. Apollo. Being the son of Apollo?"

I shrugged casually. "Yeah, sure, why not?" I managed to suppress the smile that twitched around my lips now that I understood the almost anticipating air that surrounded him before. Poor guy thought I was probably going to scream crazy and remain a non-believer. I couldn't really blame him, it was hard to swallow and if it hadn't been for my unusual circumstances I probably wouldn't have believed so easily. On the other hand, I had just woken up from being slapped around by a Minotaur. At some point you would have to believe your own eyes or you wouldn't be living in reality.

"Wow," he smiled, still looking surprised and confused. "Most don't believe it, not at first." He gave me a questioning look. "You didn't know about this before, right? Chiron said Grover had to tell you about your father being a god."

Now this was where things could get tricky. Being the child of the god of truth, there was a pretty good chance that the kid could sense lies. I obviously had to be very careful what to tell him.

"Yeah, Grover told us on the night I first met him that the Greek gods were real, and that our father was one of them. But I've known I was different all of my life. Honestly, it wasn't a big stretch, especially not after encountering the Minotaur." Not a lie. Not the whole truth, but definitely not a lie.

"Yeah," he said thoughtfully, "I guess that makes sense."

"So, what's your name, son of Apollo?" I asked, impishly quirking my brow.

He flushed brightly. "Oh, yeah, I guess I forgot to introduce myself." He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I'm Will Solace."

The smirk that graced my mouth at witnessing his sheepish discomfort turned into a pleased grin when I realized I had just met my first canon demigod character.

"Nice to meet you, Will, I'm Rhea Jackson."

"Daughter of...?"

I grinned mischievously, "Sally Jackson."

He snorted in amusement. "Not what I meant."

"Oh I know," I admitted airily, making him smile in amusement.

"I guess we'll find out later." He smiled wryly, "Or not."

"Hmm," I hummed noncommittally, stifling a yawn.

"Are you tired?" he asked, stepping closer to my bed.

I was feeling exhausted, actually. The flight from the Minotaur, the fight with the monster, and staying awake so I could pack our stuff and have a good excuse for still wearing my clothes, had finally caught up with me. The only reason I was awake was probably because I didn't know what happened to Percy after defeating the monster. Now that I knew my brother was safe and practically within reach, any energy I had had been sapped from me. All I wanted to do was sleep and not wake up for at least a couple of days. Especially not with knowing what was going to happen soon.

"Yeah, very much."

He smiled kindly, and reached for a glass on my bedside table. "Mr. D, the camp director, told me to take you to him once you were awake, but I don't think you're quite ready for that experience. Here, drink this." He handed me the glass.

"What is it?" I asked suspiciously, already having an idea, but not willing to drink something just handed to me without knowing exactly what it was.

Will shrugged. "Nectar."

"Which is?" I questioned suspiciously, making him chuckle.

"It's the drink of the gods. Ever heard of Ambrosia?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Well, Nectar is like liquid Ambrosia," he explained. "Only instead of giving you immortality, it will heal up your injuries. It'll make you feel better, I promise. Also," he added, after seeing my dubious look, eyes glinting mischievously, "If you drink all of it, I'll let you get some rest."

I frowned, not really knowing what to do. In the books Percy loved it because it tasted like mom's blue chocolate chip cookies. But, the way the boy, Will, acted, it was as if it was going to be horrible. Whenever my previous incarnation would give medicine to one of her kids and they didn't want to drink it, she would always promise them something they would like if they did it without complaining. Then I realized something and frowned. I couldn't help but wonder when exactly my previous incarnation had become she instead of I.

Seeing me frown and mistakenly thinking it was about the Nectar, Will quickly reassured, "It's completely safe, I promise. It's only dangerous for mortals, or in large quantities."

I gave him a slight smile that probably looked more like a grimace, and decided to think about my alarming discovery later.

"Alright..." I said hesitantly, silently hoping it wouldn't taste anything like one of the potions from the Harry Potter universe. As far as I knew, they all tasted disgusting. Probably because of the freaky ingredients, like eye of newt and stuff like that.

I accepted the glass and took a small sip. My eyes widened in surprise and my mouth curled up into a blinding smile. I pulled the hand holding the glass back a little and sighed blissfully.

"Oh my dear friend, how I have missed thee," I told the glass, while Will choked on air. "Come to momma," I crooned before drinking the content of the glass without taking a single breath.

Will laughed, amused when I inhaled loudly after finishing the drink they so aptly named Nectar, and exhaled with a satisfied murmur of, "Oh, that hit the spot."

"What did it taste like?" he asked curiously. "Nectar tastes like what food or drink you love most."

"Ah," I nodded thoughtfully. "That explains it."

"So what was it?" Will asked, impatient with curiosity.

I gave him a wide blissful smile. He really was my favorite demigod ever. At this point, I loved him almost as much as Percy.

"Fanta orange, liquid ambrosia," I sighed sleepily. "Even better than sliced bread."

I heard him chuckle incredulously as my eyes slipped closed. "You're a strange one, aren't you?" he asked fondly. "We'll get along just fine, you and me, I can tell."

I couldn't have answered him if I tried. Sleep soon overcame me, and I allowed myself to fall into its blissful embrace, the taste of oranges on my tongue.

.

If I dreamed of anything, I couldn't remember it. With the way that people seemed to be messing with my dreams lately, and erasing stuff from my memories left and right, that wasn't a reassuring thought. As far as I knew Mr. Vogel didn't show up, and I honestly didn't know how to feel about that. On the one hand I really wanted to talk to him, ask him to explain a couple of things, but on the other hand I'd rather do it face to face.

All things considered I'd feel a lot better if I knew he was around. It was pretty obvious that although he was a shitty bastard, he was also invested in keeping me alive, even if it was only for the purpose of entertainment value. There was also a not so inconsiderable part of me that was relieved that there was finally someone who knew my secret. I had played a role for well over a decade, hiding parts of my personality that didn't fit with the person I was portraying. I didn't have to do that with him. He knew who I was, where I came from, hell, he was the one that brought me there.

"Rhea!" a familiar voice yelled, pulling me from my inner musings.

I looked up just in time to see a familiar face and braced myself for impact as he almost jumped on the bed in his effort to hug me.

"Watch out, idiot, she's still hurt!" another familiar voice cried in a warning that came just too late.

"Oof," I grunted, as two familiar arms enveloped me into a tight, rib cracking hug. He let go as soon as the warning penetrated his mind.

"Oh, Rhea, did I hurt you? I didn't mean to, honestly," he said frantically. He grabbed me by the shoulders when I just looked at him blankly and shook me gently. "Talk to me Rhea, talk to me."

"Let her go, you moron. What's wrong with you?'' Will Solace, son of Apollo, sighed exasperatedly.

"Dagwood? What are you doing here?" I asked confusedly. In all honesty I wasn't confused as much as I was surprised. I knew that he was a satyr and lived at Camp Half-Blood, he had even given me a card with the address for Christ's sake. The thing was that with everything that was going on, I had just kind of forgotten.

"Oh, right," he grinned sheepishly. "This is where I live, Rhea. Camp Half-Blood. This was the place I was inviting you to visit over the summer. I'm so glad you're here." He grinned happily.

"So are you like me, or are you like Grover?" I asked curiously, gesturing at his hairy donkey legs.

"Ah, yes, I'm a satyr like Grover Underwood. He's my cousin, actually. Very distant, like five times removed – or maybe it was seven," he contemplated thoughtfully before shrugging dismissively. "Ah, whatever. We're still family."

Huh, who would've thought. Small world. It was good to see him, though. He felt familiar and it made some of the anxiety and uncertainty disappear.

"How are you feeling?" Will asked curiously as he pulled Dag, who had obviously forgotten my injuries and his warnings in his excitement and tried hugging me again, away from me. I moved my body into a more comfortable position and found myself pleasantly surprised that apart from some soreness, I actually felt great. That Nectar Will gave me tasted like the best thing in the universe and it healed my injuries. Awesome!

"I'm okay," I smiled. "Well rested. How's my brother?" I asked as I bit my lip in worry. Percy wasn't awake and I was pretty sure he hadn't woken up yet, or I would have heard him yelling for me.

"He's going to be fine, Rhea. Luke – one of Hermes' kids – says he woke up for a bit when he was fed ambrosia, but he was too tired to stay conscious for long. He should be up soon."

Luke, son of Hermes – the traitor who wound up trying to kill Percy Jackson more times than I could count – was in close proximity to me and my brother when we were too weak and unable to defend ourselves? I wasn't sure what to feel about that revelation, but from the cold chill shivering down my spine, it wasn't anything positive.

"Yeah, about that," Dag interjected, sounding slightly hurt. "How come you never told me your brother was a demigod, too?"

I just looked at him with a deadpan expression on my face. My instincts were yelling at me not to forget the son Apollo who might be able to detect my lies.

"I couldn't exactly do that, now could I?"

"Why not?" Dag asked, in an uncharacteristic show of obliviousness.

"She didn't even know that she is a demigod, Silas. How can you expect her to tell you that her brother is one?" Will snickered amusedly.

"Right," Dag nodded thoughtfully, "That makes sense."

"You should've figured it out by yourself, anyway. Grover said that they're twins."

"Wait, what? You never told me he was your twin brother," Dag hissed.

"I didn't?" I asked with a puzzled frown.

"No, you always called him your big brother," he accused.

"Well he is, by four minutes." I shrugged. "What about you? You knew what I was from the start and never told me. You did know, right? That was the reason you came to my school. I could accuse you of pretending to be my friend just so you could spy on me."

Will winced in sympathy while Dag tried protesting before wilting like a flower under the heat of my glare.

"You're lucky I know better." I gave him a small but warm smile.

Dag slowly straightened as hope blossomed on his face. "Yes, I am lucky. I really wasn't pretending, Rhea. I am your friend. If I wasn't, I would have let you face Mr. Vogel's wrath alone, Keeper or no Keeper." He shuddered slightly.

I snorted in amusement, knowing that Dag would be even more scared of Mr. Vogel if he knew what I knew, and promised myself to keep a camera nearby in case the truth would ever be revealed. The look on his face would be priceless.

"So," Will asked, sounding a little nervous, "Are you ready to meet Chiron and Mr. D?"

I took a deep breath and thought about it. Was I ready? No. Did I have a choice? Probably not. I had a brief thought about insisting we wait with the meet and greet until Percy was awake, but honestly… It was probably best to get it over with. No matter how much I could have used my brother's support and body to cower behind, it was time to be brave.

Still, if I could postpone meeting my first god – dad didn't count – I would gladly do so. I wasn't all that good at being brave unless I really had to. If these people ever thought to confuse me with my brother, they were shit outta luck. "Can I get a shower and a change of clothes first?" I pleaded.

"Yeah." Will smiled sunnily. "I think we can manage that. Grover went back to grab your stuff for you, so you'll even have your own things."

"Oh thank God," I sighed, relieved, ignoring Will's interjection of 'the gods, not God'. "I told Percy it was a good idea to take our stuff with us, but he kept bitching about it. He's lucky I loved him enough to haul his bags around like a pack mule."

Will grinned. "Come on, let's get you to a shower. Maybe it'll give you enough energy to deal with Mr. D."

"Who is Mr. D?" I asked, as Dag whimpered something under his breath about dolphins and rodents and being rude.

"Camp director. He's... not nice. Just be polite and courteous," Will said with a smile that faltered when Dag made the sound of a dying goat. "You can do that, right?"

"Yeah. Sure. Piece of cake," I said airily.

"She's so doomed," Dag whimpered, making me punch his shoulder.

"Come on, Dag, have a little faith. He can't be worse than Mr. Vogel, right?"

"No," Dag shuddered, shaking his head emphatically. "No one is worse than Mr. Vogel. Then again, Mr. Vogel won't resort to incinerating you or turning you into an animal if you insult him. I think," he gulped as an afterthought.

I snorted silently. From what I had seen of Mr. Vogel, he'd do worse. Not to me, maybe. But I was his entertainment. Someone else... yeah, I had a feeling Mr. Vogel wasn't all that merciful.

After Will showed me where the bathroom was, I took a long, hot, relaxing shower. I tried to just enjoy the warm water and keep my mind off my troubles, but it wasn't really working. My mind kept going back to the fact that we were at Camp Half-Blood. Did they know Poseidon was our dad? I'd used my awesome fishy powers, had they seen it? My powers were another thing I was worried about. It came so easy, maybe too easy. Sure, I was tired afterwards, but Percy hadn't used his powers until he first met Clarisse. Was it simply the combination of being aware of my father's identity and the desperation at seeing my brother about to die that made it easier for me to use my powers?

I wasn't sure what was going on, but I was glad my powers worked when I needed them most. Percy would've been dead if I hadn't thrown the water at the Minotaur. The thought made me sick to my stomach. Life without my brother would truly not be worth living. It may sound insane, but I had already lost my family and everything I knew when I was reincarnated into this world. No matter how much Mr. Vogel (and where the hell was he when I was being kicked around by the Minotaur, anyway?) might have messed with my emotions to keep me from going insane with grief, I still would have gone completely insane if it wasn't for my mom, dad and most importantly, Percy. He literally saved my sanity and I honestly didn't think I could live in a world without him in it. I had lost my old world and built my new one around him.

A loud pounding on the door ripped me from my thoughts. "Come on, Rhea! What's taking so long?" Dag whined.

"Get lost before I decide to play 'pin the tail' with your ass!" I yelled, annoyed that I couldn't think in peace.

"I'm not a donkey, Rhea! And it's Tartarus, not hell!"

"Don't care, fuck off!"

"You should really do something about your swearing. You're only fourteen, for Pan's sake," he grumbled before leaving.

I sighed and turned off the water. No matter how irritating the interruption was, Dag did have a point. I was only avoiding the inevitable. I wasn't even sure why the thought of meeting Mr. D and Chiron unnerved me so much, but it did.

I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off with a big white towel. After drying and brushing my long black hair I divided it and expertly twisted it into two braids. My mom used to do it for me when I was little after a long day at the beach. She'd kiss my nose and tell me I looked just like Pocahontas. I hoped my mom was okay and that she got away safely. I knew the Minotaur didn't get her because I was pretty sure Percy killed it, but there were plenty of other things that could have gotten her. It didn't even have to be a monster. A woman, alone, running around in the middle of the night... I tried not to think about the scary scenarios my mind was running through. I told her to run towards the water because it might disguise her scent, but in all honesty I sent her there hoping my dad would keep her safe.

Dag was nervously pacing the hallway when I stepped out of the bathroom, clad in my favorite jeans and top.

"Rhea, you're finished," he sighed relievedly, before suddenly frowning and hissing out a venomous, "About time."

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Dag, chill. What's the hurry anyway?"

Dag shuddered. "Mr. D is waiting and he doesn't have a lot of patience."

"Whatever," I shrugged indifferently. Dionysus could go sit on a bottle for all I cared. I had just woken up from a twenty-four hour sleep after having our car blown up by lighting and fighting a mythological creature from ancient times. Not only did I need that shower, I fucking deserved it.

"Be polite to him, Rhea," Dag said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "Mr. D isn't just a camp director; it would be really bad if you annoyed or insulted him. Like changing you into a shrub for the foreseeable future bad."

I calmly met his gaze. "I'll do my best, promise."

"You need to do better than your best," he said emphatically. "Just treat him like you would Mr. Vogel."

"Alright." I nodded reassuringly. "Where's Will?" I asked, changing the subject.

"He already went ahead, he's trying to stall for time. Come on, we better hurry."

I followed Dag through the hall and back into the room Percy and I slept in. I absentmindedly stroked my hand across Percy's legs as I passed him, wondering when he'd wake up. Dag walked through an open door I hadn't noticed and stepped outside onto the porch; it was wrapped around the entire house. I followed Dag until we stepped around a corner of the house, halting my steps as soon as I saw the view.

Camp Half-Blood was beautiful. It looked like a private Island untainted by technology, surrounded by a beautiful body of water. It seemed as if time had stopped a couple of centuries ago; the buildings looked like they'd been plucked from ancient Greece and places there randomly. There were kids practicing archery in a beautiful green field, and having sword fights in an honest to god amphitheater, which somehow looked ancient and at the same time, still brand new. There were canoes gliding through the beautiful blue water. And a group of teenagers wearing orange shirts were riding horses with wings.

"No time to stand and gawk," Dag snapped, "Impatient camp director waiting for an opportunity to turn you into a bush or something equally unpleasant. Irritating him is not a good idea, Rea."

"I'm coming," I sighed. "Lighten up, Dagwood, I'm sure it's not the end of the world if we're a little late." I wasn't very sure about that, to be honest. Dionysus did seem like the kind of god who was just waiting for an excuse to get rid of you.

"Tell that to the Stoll brothers," he scoffed. "A couple of weeks ago, one of their pranks went wrong and they accidentally destroyed one strawberry bush, just one. It ticked Mr. D off so badly he turned them both into chipmunks for a week."

"Seriously?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "That seems a little harsh. He did turn them back though, right? I mean, all things considered, a week isn't that bad."

In the myths, punishments like that lasted until death, and sometimes even beyond that. I could handle a week. Maybe.

"Yeah, well, that's only 'cause Connor and Travis Stoll used their new chipmunk status to cause even more havoc than they usually do." Dag stopped walking so suddenly I almost bumped into him. He turned, moved his face a little closer to mine, and lowered his voice. "Well, that's what Mr. D wants us to believe. I heard a rumor that Connor and Travis would sit at his bedroom window at the crack of dawn singing songs from Alvin and the Chipmunks. It does explain why Mr. D suddenly banned the Apollo cabin from singing Beyoncé's Single Ladies when he's in hearing distance."

I snorted before giving Dag a disturbed look. "You people are so fucking weird."

"You have no idea," he uttered as he turned to walk again. "Look on the bright side, Rhea. You'll fit right in."

"Very true," I smiled wryly. As we arrived at the end of the porch I noticed two guys and Will sitting at a table playing cards. Another blonde kid my age, a girl this time, was leaning against the railing with crossed arms, looking at me in a way that made me feel like I was being strip searched by airport security. Ah, this must be Annabeth Chase, my brother's future girlfriend. If she said anything about drooling in my sleep I'd drown her like an unwanted kitten.

"We're here," Dag muttered softly, "Remember what I said."

Right, I shouldn't say anything rude unless I wanted to be turned into an animal or a shrub. Great. This was just great.

"Rhea, this is Mr. D, the camp director," he said, pointing at the dude that looked like he could have been a regular at Hooters.

"Nice to meet you," I nodded politely but he didn't even spare me a glance. Rude.

"This is the activities director, Chiron." Chiron gave me a friendly, reassuring smile. Book Percy was right, he did have old eyes.

"You've already met Will Solace..." Cue blinding smile. I made a quick mental note to ask him the name of his dentist. "And this is Lucrezia Castellan from the Hermes cabin."

Wait, what?

"Just call me Luke," the girl smiled wryly, "Everyone does."

No seriously. What?  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Surprise! So what do you think? Temul beta'd this chapter for me, thank her for making it readable. Honestly don't know what I'd do without her advice and support.
> 
> Answer: I'm female. There are a lot of dudes reading this story. More than I thought there would be. I think that's just shiny.
> 
> Question: What do you dislike in a Percy Jackson fanfiction?
> 
> I'm thinking of writing a sidestory to Eye of the Hurricane. EotH will be written from Rhea's pov. But I figured maybe you guys want to read different pov's, maybe even read about the parts that Rhea doesn't get to see since she won't be glued to Percy. Check out what the gods are doing, stuff like that. You could even give me prompts, if you wanted to. What do you think?


	8. Orientation

There weren't many things that surprised me anymore. Maybe it was because I had already lived a life, died, and remembered it. Maybe I simply wasn't easy to surprise. There could be a lot of reasons. People would think that I would enjoy being caught off guard every once in a while, since everything around me was so predictably monotonous.

I didn't.

Surprises meant being fourteen instead of sixteen or twelve. They meant having to look 'Lucrezia' in the face without losing my shit. They meant Mr. Vogel... enough said.

Looking at a female Luke Castellan, who was pretty cute and younger than he... she should be, gave me the ominous feeling that I was way over my head in a situation I thought I had under control.

"So... You're a girl." That might not have been the best opening sentence I could have used. Even Dionysus briefly looked up from his cards to study me with his purple eyed gaze. Wasn't he supposed to have blue eyes? What kind of fucker has purple eyes anyway?

"Yes, I am. Why? Do I look like a boy to you?" Her smile changed into something sharp that advised me against giving a wrong answer.

"No. Not at all. You look very pretty―and girly," I stammered, still shocked. "But are you sure you're not a dude? I mean, don't get me wrong, you don't look like it," I hurriedly assured her when her eyes narrowed in anger. "But I thought you were sup―" I closed my mouth with a snap, before taking a deep breath. "Never mind," I said casually like I hadn't just accused her of secretly being male.

"The Minotaur obviously scrambled my brain. Nice to meet you." I ignored Dag's groan of exasperation and Will's snickering and turned to Chiron and Dionysius. I wasn't going to think about the female, way too young Luke, casually leaning against the porch rail, watching me like a hawk.

Kronos was apparently going to be taking over a chick's body, but whatever, to each their own. I wondered if calling him grandma Kronos would piss him off? Not that I would. I had totally learned my lesson after insulting the Minotaur. Really. But it would be impolite to call him grandpa when he was wearing a female meat-suit. I was raised by both my mothers not to be rude to the elderly.

"Rhea Jackson," Chiron said, breaking the awkward silence. "Welcome to Camp Half-Blood."

"Thank you," I replied, happy to be distracted from thoughts about Kronos going bra shopping. Oh merciful Zeus, not even brain bleach would take care of those disturbingly funny images.

Dionysus looked up from his cards when Chiron gave a small deliberate cough. "Yes, yes, what he said. Welcome. Do you know how to play pinochle?"

"No, I don't, Sir," I replied, politely, deliberately adding the 'sir'. I remembered him giving Percy a hard time for not calling him sir and I wanted to avoid that if at all possible. Besides, pissing off the god of madness was not a bright idea. I didn't care how many orders Zeus gave him not to kill the campers, if I offended him enough, he could easily find a way to kill me and make it look like a complete accident.

"Bah, youth these days, I don't know what they're teaching you. At least you're polite to your betters," he added with a distracted mutter.

"So, Miss Jackson," Chiron smiled kindly. "It's good to see you on your feet."

"Thank you, Sir, it's good to be on my feet. Mind telling me what's going on?"

"Of course. Please sit," he gestured at one of the empty chairs. "Miss Jackson, please know that whatever I tell you is the complete truth," he explained gently when I took a seat next to Will. "It may sound unbelievable at first, but if you think about it, it will make sense to you."

"Okay, shoot." I just wanted to get this over with, honestly. I had a brother to visit and a quiet place to find so I could thoroughly freak out.

"Have you ever felt as if―" Chiron started, but was quickly interrupted by Dionysus' dry tone of voice.

"Your father is a Greek god," Dionysus said. "Which means you're a demigod. Welcome to a harsh, short life, and a brutal death." He said it offhandedly, like he informed people of their imminent and brutal death often. Fucker. "You were taking too long," he added with a mutter when Chiron frowned at him.

Will cringed slightly before sending Dionysus an angry glare. Luke's smile grew wider but her blue eyes became harder.

"Mr. D," Chiron sighed exasperatedly, "I was trying to ease her into it." It was probably a repeat occurrence, then. I wondered how many new demigods burst into tears because of him acting like an insensitive dickhead.

"I'm only telling the girl the truth," Dionysus huffed.

"Yes, but perhaps you could try telling it in a more diplomatic manner. You make it sound very harsh."

"The truth often is," Dionysus sighed in a mock-mournful way.

Chiron took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, shaking his head like a mother resigned to her toddler's antics. "Miss Jackson, the truth of the matter is that the Greek gods are real. Mr. D was a bit... harsh in his explanation, but it was the truth nonetheless."

I tilted my head and curiously raised an eyebrow. "So that part about dying young and brutally wasn't exaggerated?"

"W-well, not necessarily―"

"So your name is Chiron," I cut him off before he could spin a bullshit story. Dionysus' take on the life of a demigod was brutal, but, as far as I knew, not wrong. I'd rather hear the truth than some half-assed lie that was meant to make me sleep better at night. He could try to sell his bullshit to Percy, but I already knew too much.

"The Chiron from the old Greek stories, the trainer of heroes?"

"Yes."

"You call them 'old Greek stories'?" Dionysus asked, sounding slightly less bored now, with a hint of contemplation coloring his words. "Not myths or legends, but stories?"

I snorted. "I can't really call them legends after facing the Minotaur. Besides, believe it or not, that's not the strangest shit that's ever happened to me." Yeah, being reincarnated still stood firmly at the top of my 'weird shit' list.

"Oh?" Dionysus tilted his head slightly to the side. "Do tell..."

"I'd rather not. It's kind of private," I shrugged dismissively. "And of course there's also the dude that's been stalking me and calling me his Champion," I added offhandedly, hoping to cut off any further questions on that subject. "I'm pretty sure he's no regular Joe."

Dionysus' attention was now solely focused on me and I couldn't say I particularly liked the feeling.

"Champion, you say." His purple eyes narrowed as he studied me. I felt like I was being held under a microscope. I was starting to reconsider mentioning anything about Mr. Vogel. I just kinda felt like it was the best thing to do. What if the fucker decided to officially claim me or something? What if the gods could see his creepy invisible ownership claim? They'd start wondering why I didn't say anything and I imagined I could get in a lot of trouble, especially with the paranoia in this place going around like the seasonal flu.

I also figured it would be better if I brought it up now. I knew next to nothing about Mr. Vogel so I couldn't give them a name or anything, really. If they decided to interrogate me I could honestly deny all knowledge. It was a half-assed plan at best, something I came up with ten seconds before deciding to enact it, but I had a feeling it was the right course of action.

"Yeah. Well, that's what he called me at least. Said he was my 'Patron' or something like that." I shrugged.

"Hmhh," Dionysus hummed, his eyes slowly gliding over my body, scrutinizing every inch of me. It was as if he was trying to see what made me worthy of being someone's Champion. It just creeped me out. A grown male had no business looking at a fourteen year old girl like that. His purple eyes slowly made their way up to my face and when our eyes met, his lips twitched slightly as if he could read my thoughts and found them amusing.

"He didn't happen to leave a name, this Patron of yours...?"

"No. He said I had to figure out who he was for myself, that it was some kind of test."

"Yes," Dionysus nodded, his eyes going back to his cards like he hadn't just looked at me so intensely that it felt like he could see right through me. "We tend to do that. He'll probably publicly claim you as his Champion once you do something of note." His tone of voice clearly indicated that he found that notion hard to believe. "I do hope he asked your father for permission. Those emergency meetings are so tedious. Someone's always threatening war." He sighed. "On the other hand, anything that gets me away from you brats is worth my time," he muttered as he conjured a glass of red wine.

Even with everything I knew and had seen it was still weird when he just effortlessly magicked things into existence. It was freaky, unnatural, but also fucking awesome.

"Mr. D," Chiron warned, bringing his presence back into focus. When I was speaking to Dionysus I'd kind of forgotten that we weren't alone. Maybe it was a god thing? "Your father's restrictions..."

"Bah, I'm just savoring the smell, is all," Dionysus defended, bringing the glass close to his nose and taking a big whiff. The sky rumbled, and I looked up to see a couple of stormy clouds in an otherwise sunny sky.

"I'm not even allowed to enjoy the smell now?" Dionysus cried in outrage, looking at the sky. "That's so unfair."

The glass of wine magically turned into a Diet Coke can which he opened with a sullen sigh. It was actually kind of ridiculous to watch an old dude like him sulk like a four-year old brat.

"Your father would be the god of lightning..." I said slowly.

"Yes he is," Dionysus agreed. "He's also a giant pain in the ass who enjoys punishing me for no reason," he grumbled bitterly.

"Now, now, Mr. D," Chiron tutted, as the sky made a rumbling sound that sounded suspiciously a lot like 'Boy, don't make me come down there...'

"I wouldn't say for no reason." Chiron gave me a small conspiratorial grin, "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"Right, wood nymph. Of course he did. And he punished him by forbidding him to drink alcohol," I said slowly. "And if I'm right, and I'm pretty sure I am, then you are Dionysus, the god of wine, among other things." I whistled, "Well damn. That's pretty harsh."

"You don't have to tell me," Dionysus huffed.

"Like forbidding the goddess Artemis to hunt, harsh."

"Finally someone gets it!" he exclaimed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time—well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away—the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha. Absolutely unfair. What do you brats need good influence for? You're all going to die anyway."

"Oh, that's nice," I scoffed. "By the way, since you're Dionysus, aren't you supposed to be married? Why were you out chasing wood nymphs?"

"What does marriage have to do with anything?" he asked, honestly bewildered. I heard Will snort in amusement as I chanced a quick look at the She-Luke to watch her roll her eyes in exasperation. Luke with breasts... so fucking weird. I quickly averted my eyes from the She-Luke and her breasts before I got bitch-slapped and labeled with the moniker of pervert.

"Apparently nothing," I said dryly, as I turned my attention back to Dionysus. He was giving Dag a strange look that gave me the vague sense that he was feeling somewhat uncomfortable. I glanced at Dag to find him watching Dionysus with a disturbingly hungry look on his face.

I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Dag didn't have a crush on Dionysus did he? He never told me about having a crush on anyone, and I was pretty sure he wasn't gay—I'd seen him checking out our Spanish teacher back in school. I could be wrong of course, and if I was I needed to stage an intervention pronto. I was pretty sure there were enough hot guys running around this camp I could set him up with, once I knew my way around this place and people. All those muscled guys wearing Greek armor... Why did he have to fall for the bitter old dude who looked like they invented Alcoholics Anonymous for his sake?

"What is it, Mr. Dagwood?" Dionysus asked sharply.

I looked at Dag and his hungry I-want-to-eat-you-right-now-eyes, and prayed he wasn't about to confess his love or something equally stupid.

"Can I eat that when you're done with it?" Dag asked in a breathy voice as he pointed towards the Diet Coke can firmly clasped in Dionysus' hands.

Oh thank everything that is good and holy in this world.

"What?" he asked, surprised, "Oh alright, as long as you don't look at me like that again—it's disturbing." I was pretty sure he shuddered when he said that last part, but I couldn't blame him. It was kinda creepy.

"Thank you!" Dag beamed at him, as Will shook his head in exasperation, muttering something about 'weird satyrs'.

Something occurred to me suddenly. "You can just make Diet Coke appear, right?"

Dionysus granted me a 'well duh' look.

"Can you make Fanta appear?" I asked eagerly. If he could, I would offer myself as his faithful slave for the rest of eternity.

"Yes," he said, curiously cocking a brow.

"Will you?" I was pretty sure I looked like a little eager puppy, waiting for its master to throw the ball so it could go fetch.

"No," he deadpanned.

"Fine." I sagged in my chair, like a puppet whose strings had been cut. "Rude, but fine."

Dionysus gave me an odd look before turning to Dag. "I'm impressed, Mr. Dagwood. You went out and managed to find a half blood just as strange as you are."

"Hey," I said, feeling mildly offended.

"Oh no, Sir," Dag protested, making me feel slightly mollified, "She's way more strange than I ever could be."

"Hey," I protested again. "Stop picking on me, you can eating bastard."

Dag just smirked in response while Will sniggered and Luke rolled her eyes. She-Luke... nope, still not dealing with it. Honestly, just looking at her made me want to react as if my mom was trying to talk to me about sex—put my fingers in my ears, close my eyes, and then go 'lalalalala, I can't hear you'.

"Oh, a royal marriage, trick, trick," Dionysus suddenly said gleefully. What the fuck was this guy's problem? I gave him a strange look before I suddenly remembered he was playing a card game. A game where people of royal blood apparently married each other, but whatever. I should really learn how to play pinochle. It was obviously something he enjoyed playing, and understanding the game could possibly become a useful skill in the future.

"So, gods are real, Percy and I are demigods..." I mused thoughtfully. "You don't happen to know who our dad is, do you?" I asked no one in particular.

"Well, we all have our own ideas about his identity, of course, but until he claims you it's best not to speculate about the subject." Chiron was giving me a thoughtful look. "You are certain you share the same father as your brother?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "We're twins."

He smiled sheepishly, before it turned almost apologetic. "I am aware, but it's not uncommon for twins to be born from different fathers."

My look of incredulity turned into outright dumbfounded shock. I turned to Dionysus who was, surprisingly enough, not paying attention to his cards for once, but watching my reaction with purple eyes shining with amusement.

"Is he seriously implying what I think he's implying?" I choked out.

"Yes," Dionysus answered, eyes still filled with amusement and lips twitching with the desire to curl upwards. "Don't hold it against him, though. It truly is possible..."

His eyes turned calculating, sending a small shiver down my spine. I preferred his eyes to be filled with amusement, even if it did mean he was secretly laughing at me. This look just creeped me the fuck out and made me want to run for the hills.

"Although," he continued shrewdly, "I personally don't think that's the case. You did, after all, manage to defeat the Minotaur. That's certainly no small feat, especially not for an untrained brat like yourself."

I shrugged carelessly. "My brother did most of the work. I was thrown around by that damned beast so many times that I've developed a newfound respect for the ability to fly. Percy's the one that defeated him in the end." Not once did I lie. I was getting kinda good at this lying without actually telling any lies thing.

I ignored the look of knowing in his eyes and turned back to Chiron. "With all due respect, Sir, my mother isn't in the habit of having threesomes with gods."

"We all do things when we're young that we... don't necessarily regret, but wouldn't repeat when we're older and wiser, Miss Jackson. It's also not a subject a mother would easily speak to her child about."

"Then what the fuck are you asking me for?" I snapped, feeling a little, no a lot, weird at having to talk to a virtual stranger about my mother's sex life.

"Language, Miss Jackson," Chiron chided gently. His eyes were pretty much alight with amusement, though, so I didn't think he was really all that bothered.

"Yeah, good luck with that." Dagwood snorted incredulously. "I've already declared that a lost cause."

"Whatever." I shrugged. "I don't curse that much, you're making it out to be worse than it is." For some reason I thought I heard Dionysus of all people give an amused snort at my words, but when I glanced at him he was back to looking at his cards with an air of boredom, so I shrugged it off.

"Miss Jackson―" I cut him off before he could ask any more of his weird questions.

"Look, Mr. Chiron, Percy and I have the same dad, okay? We're twins. And if that doesn't mean anything to you, I look exactly what Percy would have looked like if he had been born as a girl. Hell, mom says we both look like our dad. I have my dad's hair, his eyes, I even have a smaller version of his nose."

For some reason I didn't like people trying to convince me that Poseidon wasn't my dad. I was proud to be his daughter and Chiron's words made me feel really defensive. Maybe it was because it hit so close to home. I had a hard enough time convincing myself that if for some reason my family ever found out about my secrets, they wouldn't see me as a fraud and an interloper. I didn't need his words weighing on my already heavy mind.

"You know this because your mother told you?" Dionysus asked, deceptively innocent, not once looking away from his card, with an air of nonchalance.

Yes, but I also I knew this because my dad came to visit me, giving me a pretty good idea what Percy and I were going to look like in the near future. Unfortunately, it wasn't like I could say anything. At least not unless I wanted to incriminate my own father.

"Yes she did. And since she's the one who had sex with the dude, I'll put my trust in her judgment."

Dionysus looked up from his cards his eyes uncomfortably assessing. I was pretty sure he knew that I wasn't telling the whole truth. Still. Did he truly expect me to just say outright that I had already met my father? That was more along the lines of something Percy would do. I loved my brother, but when he got emotional, he lacked a brain filter. A trait that was associated with most of my father's children, I think. It took me three seconds to understand the implications of my last thought. Ah, so I surprised him by not being a typical 'ruled by my emotions' child of Poseidon.

"Why would you think that, anyway? I mean, we're twins. I don't care how much of a possibility it is, the odds of me not having the same father as my twin brother are still very low," I questioned Chiron, quickly changing the subject.

Dionysus was turning out to be way too perceptive for my tastes. From reading the books I got the impression that he was a lazy, apathetic bastard. Well, if Luke Castellan could have breasts (I really needed to stop looking at them) and a vagina then I guess Dionysus could be the quintessential Slytherin. What-fucking-ever.

"I'm not sure if you're aware of this but we send satyrs, like your friend Silas Dagwood here, and your brother's friend, Grover Underwood, to schools to find demigods and bring them safely to camp when it gets necessary. Grover contacted me because your brother had a particularly strong scent. He felt that the situation warranted my personal attention. Your scent, however, is different from your brother's, less potent. I had thought it was because you were fathered by a minor god and your brother by an O- more powerful god. Perhaps I am mistaken. Time will tell, I suppose."

I was pretty sure he was going to say Olympian before he cut himself off.

"Hn. Well, whoever my father is, I'm very sure that I share him with Percy."

"Whoever he is... hmm?" Luke said, breaking her silence. "I have a feeling you've already guessed his identity." Her eyes were full of intrigued speculation. Her words caused everyone to look at me with varying degrees of curiosity and speculation. Except Dionysus. He just looked at me knowingly as if me knowing who my dad was wasn't news to him.

"Mmmhh," I hummed non-committally. "Maybe, maybe not. But like Chiron said, until he claims me, it's best not to speculate about the subject."

"Very true," Chiron agreed, sporting a small amused smile.

"So what's going to happen now?"

"First we're going to find you a place to stay. Luke, if you wouldn't mind... Cabin eleven for now, I think."

"Of course, Chiron," Luke smiled wryly, slowly pushing herself off the porch railing. "Cabin eleven it is. I'll see you later, Rhea."

"Sure," I smiled brightly. God, I hoped not. I needed some time to adjust my world view. Female Luke. Seriously, you couldn't pay me enough to write this shit.

"As for you, Miss Jackson, I thought a tour of Camp Half-Blood would be in order." Chiron smiled kindly.

"Ha!" Dionysus exclaimed triumphantly. "I believe I win."

Chiron smiled kindly, like a grandfather smiling at the antics of a favored grandchild. "Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a couple of cards that might as well have been written in Chinese for all I knew, and started counting points. "I'm afraid the game goes to me."

Dionysus looked like he wanted to throw Chiron off a cliff into a stormy ocean after tying his hands and legs together, but he just exhaled loudly before grumbling under his breath. I could hear him muttering something about how pissing off Tyche wasn't the brightest thing he'd ever done.

He got up from his chair. "I need a drink," he said. "But since I won't be getting my wish granted any time soon, I'll settle for a nap before the sing-along tonight. I'm going to need it if those two annoying rodents of Hermes decide to sing."

He turned and walked away without a simple goodbye but not before I heard him say, "I wonder what I'll turn them into next. Perhaps a nice roll of toilet paper. I'm pretty sure they'll learn their lesson after some carefully inflicted emotional trauma. Especially if I offer the 'extra soft toilet paper' to a child of Ares. The brats have been complaining about the quality of the paper, saying it felt like sandpaper; I'm sure they'll put my generous donation to good use."

Oh yes, I would definitely be making sure not to piss off that particular god. Turning people into toilet paper? That's a cruel and unusual punishment if I ever heard one.

"Yeah, a tour would be good," I agreed readily. "Are you two coming with?" I asked Will and Dagwood.

"Yes, definitely." Will grinned brightly. I could already foresee a bright career modeling for toothpaste commercials in this boy's future.

"Please, you couldn't get rid of me if you tried," Dagwood drawled, trying to sound cool but coming off more like a wimpy stalker.

I stood up from my chair and waited for Chiron. "Ugh," he groaned, as he rose. "What a relief. I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep."

Now I knew, intellectually speaking, that the dude was a centaur. I had known long before I ever met him, long before I ever picked up a Percy Jackson book. The first time I'd ever heard about him was from an old episode of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, or Young Hercules, I couldn't even remember which one, it was literally a lifetime ago. But to see with my own eyes that he was actually half man half horse was mind-blowing. More overwhelming than the Minotaur or any other monster I had seen. Maybe that was because with Chiron I didn't actually have to worry for my life, which gave me plenty of time to appreciate the view.

"Whoa, you're beautiful," I breathed, looking in awe at the half man half white stallion that had trained heroes for millenniums. And he truly was. I ignored Dag's incredulous snort and Will's amused snickering.

Chiron gave me a strange look before smiling gratefully, yet still somehow bashfully.

"That's not the reaction I usually get, but I'll take it. Thank you."

"Yeah, okay," I said, still feeling a little dazed and speechless.

"Now come, Miss Jackson. Let's give you a tour of your new home."

I followed after him, eyes glued to his form. I was going to have to find a secluded place where I could lose my shit in solitude pretty soon. I suspected the situation was finally catching up to me. I took a deep breath and steeled myself. Later. It could wait until later. Hopefully.

"So are you the only centaur in this camp or are there others?" I asked Chiron after I composed myself. Will and Dag were trotting behind me, whispering softly and occasionally snickering. I suspected their willingness to accompany me on this tour was so that they could laugh their asses off at my reactions. It was one more reason why I needed to stay calm and wait for a more appropriate time to freak out. Wouldn't give the little shits the satisfaction.

"No, I'm alone. My brethren wouldn't really fit in at Camp Half-Blood, I'm afraid. They're a bit on the wild side," he said wryly.

"Oh." Oh. Right, Party Ponies.

He took me through a stroll through the strawberry fields, explaining about the different methods of making plants grow, and that they sold the strawberries the camp produced to restaurants and Mount Olympus. It was pretty cool that Dionysus did a lot of the work without even really doing anything. I couldn't help but wonder; if they managed to pay their expenses by growing strawberries almost effortlessly, what would they manage to accomplish if Dionysus was allowed to grow grapes? They'd probably produce the best wine in the world.

It was amazing to watch as people made the plants magically grow through use of reed pipes or, in the case of two boys that looked too much like each other not to be twins, by giving the plants a small caress of their hands. I was fairly sure I was watching Dionysus' twin boys work their magic.

"Percy's gonna freak," I breathed, making Chiron quirk a small smile.

"I'm not so sure," he mused thoughtfully as he ushered me along. "He didn't panic when the Fury attacked him. He dealt with her swiftly without 'freaking', as you say."

I ignored all the looks and whispers we were getting as we walked through camp. I could see it getting annoying in the long run, but for now I'd bite my tongue and not try to drown them like a bunch of rats.

I turned back to Chiron and snorted with amusement. "That's what you think. You're not the one who had to calm him down and reassure him that he wasn't, in fact, hallucinating, and his teacher truly had turned into a monster and tried to kill him."

He turned to give me a searching look. "Oh? And you had no trouble believing his story or trying to reassure him that he wasn't losing his sanity?"

I grinned brightly. "I already told you it wasn't the strangest thing that's ever happened to me. Besides, I've been able to see through the mist for a while now. And when you look at things... well, they tend to look back."

"...I see."

"Another thing you didn't tell me," Dag piped up, reminding me of his presence. He and Will had been so quiet I'd kinda forgotten they were there. So much for Constant Vigilance.

I cocked my brow in an incredulous manner. "Oh I'm sorry, are those shag carpet pants you're wearing a new fashion statement you're trying to make or do they have something to do with your cloven hoofs?"

"Not fair." He tried to pout, making me grimace at the disturbing sight.

"Stop that," I snapped, wrinkling my nose in distaste. "You look like a creeper."

"Stop picking on me, Rhea," he whined childishly, making me chuckle in amusement.

"Stop being such an easy target, then, Dagwood," I childishly flung back.

"I really am sorry for keeping things from you, Rhea," he suddenly said, sounding uncharacteristically serious. "I honestly had no idea that you already knew about a lot of things I was trying to protect you from. I would've said something if I'd known."

"It's okay, Dag." I smiled warmly. "I'm truly not mad and I completely understand where you're coming from. Honestly. Besides, you're not the only one that's been keeping secrets from me. My mom never said anything about my dad being a god until she absolutely had to, and I don't blame her for that, so how could I blame you?"

I turned to Chiron with a hopeful look. "Speaking of my mom, you don't happen to have heard from her, do you?"

Chiron looked at me for a couple of seconds before turning to Dag and Will. "Why don't you two go on ahead to the archery range. I need to discuss something with Miss Jackson; we'll catch up soon."

"Okay, sure," Will said, dragging a reluctant Dag with him. "We'll see you in a bit."

A sick feeling of dread filled me. What could he possibly want to talk to me about without anyone overhearing? Did something happen to mom? I bit the inside of my cheek until I could taste blood in my mouth. I watched Chiron apprehensively as he studied me intently.

"Miss Jackson―"

"Rhea is fine," I cut him off nervously.

"Very well," he nodded. "Rhea, you indicated that your mother is aware of your father's identity, correct?"

"Yeah... I think she knew who he was pretty much from the start. Why?"

"How much does your mother know about our world? I mean, Could she have other acquaintances like your father? Perhaps even a friend who's a demigod?"

I was pretty sure she didn't. Where the hell was Chiron going with this?

"I don't know. She never said anything to me. She explained nothing about what was going on until we were literally running for our lives. It wasn't like she had the time to tell us her entire life story while we were being chased by the Minotaur."

"You're a very observant girl, surely you've noticed things without her having to spell them out for you."

"Didn't notice a thing," I said curtly.

"Rhea?" he said in a way reminiscent of my first life's father when he wanted to know something and wasn't taking no for an answer. I swear to all the gods it's the only reason I answered. Normally I would've told him to fuck off.

I shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know, I think she could see through that mist thingy Grover explained about. It's the reason why I started trying to look beyond what my eyes were showing me. I could see my mom reacting to things that weren't there."

His eyes widened for a second before he sighed deeply. "I see."

"Well I don't. Where are you going with this?"

He put his hand inside his tweed jacket before pulling something out. "When you were unconscious I received a letter via the Hermes express." He looked at me expectantly while handing me the letter.

"What does it have to do with me?" I took the letter and noticed that it was still closed.

"Lord Hermes came to deliver it personally, to Percy and you. 'As a favor to a relative', he said. Given the state you were both in, he allowed me to sign for it in your name."

I felt excitement rush through my veins. Did dad send us something? It wasn't canon but things had been so fucking weird already that it wouldn't surprise me one bit.

"Is that so," I said thoughtfully, as I turned the letter around in order to read the names written on the envelope.

"Lord Hermes also said it was a letter from your mother." Chiron's words were spoken two seconds after I'd seen Percy's and my name written in my mother's familiar handwriting. Even though I was pretty desperate to find out what happened to my mom, I wasn't looking forward to reading it; I had enough of a headache as it was, but I opened the letter without hesitation.

.

My dearest Percy and Rhea,

I was so relieved to hear that you are both safe; I've been going out of my mind with worry.

I'm told that you'll both make a full recovery, but I wish I was with you so I could take care of you. I heard that you fought and protected each other bravely. I'm not surprised. You've always been so brave and protective of each other; it reassures me to know that you're together. I know you'll take good care of each other.

I'm so sorry for keeping things from you, especially since you've been asking for answers all along. It really was for your own protection. If you can find it in your heart to forgive me for that, forgive me for one more thing: I won't tell you who your father is, that's up to him.

There are dangers involved with being your father's kids, more so than for other demigod children.

He'll tell you himself when it's safest. Please believe me. Your father loves you both so much, he'd scream it from the top of the Empire State building if he could. The fact that he doesn't means it's even more dangerous than I had initially believed.

Have a little patience, Rhea. And Percy, have a little faith.

I can't tell you too much about where I am and everything that happened after we separated. All I can say is that I'm safe. I took your advice, Rhea, and met a surprising new friend that took me to a safe place. You don't have to worry about me, I'm in the best hands I could possibly be.

Percy, listen to your sister when she tells you something. Make sure Rhea doesn't get lost in her own head.

Rhea, rely on you big brother more. Ask for help when you need it. Try to make sure Percy doesn't offend any gods.

Be brave and take care of each other.

I love you,

Mom

.

The letter raised even more questions than I already had but it also answered the most important one; mom was safe. Suddenly, I felt as light as a feather. Mom wasn't dead or taken by Hades. The plot was probably shot to hell but I couldn't give a flying fuck. All I cared about was my mom, dad, and Percy. As long as they were safe, the world could go to hell in a hand basket for all I cared.

I did wonder about mom's savior, though. She wrote that she took my advice... I honestly couldn't really remember what I told her to do beyond 'run towards water'.

"I take it it's good news?"

I gave Chiron a happy, relieved grin. "Definitely good news. Mom's safe. All is well in the world."

He sent me a warm smile. "That's very good to hear, Rhea."

Who saved mom, though? If she ran towards water, maybe dad...

"I think you were right about her having a 'special' friend. Someone saved her and I don't think it was a... you know, normal... human... thing, person."

Chiron's eyes were dancing with amusement. "You mean not a mortal?"

"Yeah," I nodded readily. "That's what I said."

"Did she give you any hints?"

"Nope, not one. I'm just glad she's safe. I was kinda dreading Percy waking up without having heard anything from mom." I gave Chiron a small smirk. "That guy is such a momma's boy, he would have worried endlessly."

"Ah," Chiron smiled kindly. "Not unlike you were doing."

"No idea what you're talking about," I denied blithely. "So how about completing the tour you promised to give me?"

"Yes, let's move on." Chiron smiled, eyeing me with a knowing look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Temul for being my navigator during those shitty grammar storms, and the inevitable bouts of insecurity.
> 
> Answer: A lot of you guys already said it, but, predictability is something I hate in a PJ story. A changed Percy (be it in attitude or power level) without there being a reason for this change. Also, what's with all the hatred towards Ares and Hades? 
> 
> Question: What do you think of Poseidon?


	9. Alice in Hot Water Land

As I followed Chiron through the rest of the tour my mind wouldn't stop going back to my mother and her mystery rescuer. If it was my dad she would've just said: 'Don't worry, your father saved me, I'm okay'.

But who else could it have been?

Maybe my dad sent someone from his domain? I couldn't really think of anyone else who'd care enough to interfere. I doubted that Mr. Vogel had anything to do with my mother's rescue. He was frankly too much of a dick to do something like that. And if by some crazy miracle he did have something to do with it, I could only shudder as I thought about what he would want in return for such a 'favor'.

I didn't realize I had stopped walking until Chiron spoke. "Come, Rhea. Let me show you the woods."

I took a deep breath and forcibly banned the issue from my mind. Mom was safe, I'd find out who to thank or repay, later. Right now I needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

"Coming," I yelled, as I jogged to keep up.

As we got closer I could see that it was actually a pretty large forest. Chiron gave me a look that reminded me disturbingly a lot of a mother showing of her newborn child, expecting compliments no matter how ugly it was, as it was often the case with newborn babies - except for mine, of course; my babies were beautiful

"Wow," I said uncertainly. "It's so big, and um...forest-y?"

Chiron gave me a disappointed look.

"I mean, look at all those trees," I tried again, but failed epically.

"Come along," he sighed exasperatedly. As we reached the edge of the forest Chiron said, "The woods are stocked, if you care to try your luck, but go armed."

I gave the suddenly creepy looking forest a dubious look. "Stocked with what, creepy axe murderers?"

"You'll find out once you enter it," he answered mysteriously, making me vow to myself to never enter the creepy woods without a large number of sharp pointy weapons, or perhaps even a nice bazooka. "Capture the flag is Friday night," he continued blithely, ignoring the freaked out expression on my face. "Do you have your own sword and shield?"

Was this dude seriously asking me this question? "No, I'm afraid I left them in my other pants," I deadpanned.

"Ah," Chiron said looking a little sheepishly. "I don't suppose you do. We'll see what we can find later."

I wondered if Poseidon had left something for me with Chiron like he had with Percy. What would my chosen weapon be? It had better not be lame or I would be filing a complaint. I had no experience fighting with weapons or any other kind of fighting unless I counted the fights I'd been in as a teenager in my previous life. I wasn't all that worried about it. Percy had about as much experience as I had and I knew he was going to take to it like a duck took to water.

It sounded cliche as hell but the most important thing was to never give up. Percy's future was going to be filled with death and battles and since I planned on following him, so would mine. I didn't want to be left behind by Percy, and I knew Percy well enough to understand that he would leave me behind without hesitation if he thought it would be in my best interest. If I planned on being in the thick of things, which I so obviously was, then I was going to have to show Percy that I was capable of taking care of myself.

But most importantly; I didn't want to die. I had accepted that dying young would be pretty much inevitable from the second I found out which world I'd been reincarnated in, but living all these years in relative safety and comfort had made me greedy.

I wanted to live. I wanted to be happy and I wanted above all things to see Percy and my mother live their lives and be happy.

Chiron continued to show me around, but he didn't say much despite describing what he was showing me. I think he sensed somehow that I wasn't in the mood to talk. The worry and fear that I was in way over my head kept running through my mind. My biggest fear was that my presence changed things not for the better, but for worse. What if one of my plans got Percy killed? What if my presence changed enough things to make us lose against Kronos?

I was interrupted from my inner freak-out when Chiron put his hand on my shoulder. I looked up into his friendly but weary eyes.

"Calm down, Child," he said comfortingly. "Your troubles are only as big as you make them."

"What?" I questioned, feeling more than a little bewildered.

He looked at me with old eyes and a warm comforting smile and squeezed my shoulder in reassurance. Strangely enough, it actually made me feel a little better, as if all of my problems weren't as insurmountable as I had initially thought.

"Calm down."

"I'm calm," I lied taking a deep breath to compose myself. "I'm the fucking epitome of calm. What makes you think I'm anything but calm?"

I couldn't help but feel worried. 'Am I really that easy to read?' I tried to clear my face of any expression but a polite puzzled smile. I don't think I succeeded. My smile felt fake and tight, and I couldn't muster up any puzzlement just a frantic fear that things were even worse than I thought if Chiron could read me so easily.

Chiron's comforting smile turned into an amused one. "Look," he said softly while he pointed at something behind me.

I turned around and my eyes widened when I saw what he meant. "Oh," I breathed out in shock.

While I had been busy with my internal musing Chiron had guided me to a lake. It seemed as if the water was reacting to my emotional state because it looked like it was storming when there wasn't even a gust of wind to be felt. I could see a couple of overturned canoes in the distance. There were some people in the water right next to the capsized vessels; some laughing some cursing and others wondering what the hell was going on with the water.

"Yes, oh," Chiron said, eyes dancing with mirth.

'Shit! Way to remain inconspicuous, Rhea,' I reprimanded myself. The water had calmed the second I was made aware of what was happening making it all the more clear that it was my doing.

"Wow, the lake god must be having a crappy day," I joked weakly. "Or, you know, indigestion?"

"I'm sure," Chiron said dryly, eyes twinkling knowingly. "Let us continue towards the archery range, your friends are waiting." He turned away from the lake and trotted back towards the path we came from. I was going to have to ask Dagwood to give me another tour because I had been so caught up in my thoughts I hadn't really paid any attention to Chiron.

"Sure." I tried to smile kindly but all I could manage was a grimace. "A grip," I muttered silently to myself. "You need to get one."

"What was that?" Chiron asked looking back at me with an amused smile.

"I didn't say anything," I shrugged innocently.

Chiron gave me a long, searching look. "So much like her," he muttered fondly, but with an undertone of old pain.

"So much like whom?" I asked, frowning in confusion.

He looked at me for a long time, consideringly, as if he was unsure about whether to say something or not. "You know, child," Chiron said finally. "You look remarkably a lot like someone I used to know, a long, long time ago."

"Yeah?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, she was a few years older than you are when I first met her, but the more time I spend with you the more you remind me of her."

"Was she a demigod too?"

"Indeed, she was. A daughter of Triton."

Woah, that meant she was my niece. My niece who was probably way older than me. This whole god-family-tree thing was so fucking weird.

"Triton, huh? So you think he's my dad?" I asked halfheartedly.

"I know not, child," Chiron answered, giving me an enigmatic smile. "We shall see when you're claimed, I suppose."

I wondered how much she had to have resembled me to spark Chiron's memory. I also wondered when this girl lived.

"So this girl... how long ago are we talking here?"

"Centuries," he sighed sadly. "She's long passed now."

"Yeah, I figured, you did say it was a long time ago. How did she die?" I asked trying not to sound morbidly curious. "Was it a monster?"

"I know not. She used to appear and disappear from camp with practiced ease, no fear for anything, that one," he smiled fondly. "One day she left and simply never came back. We never found out what happened to her."

"What about her dad, did he know?"

"If he knew, he never told us," he said softly. "And I never asked. Sometimes, Rhea," he said, eyes becoming dark and shadowed with untold pain. "Sometimes it's better to not know."

As I followed Chiron towards the archery range I kept thinking about the daughter of Triton, my niece. What was she like, I wondered. Did she really look like me? I was filled with questions about this girl, only a few years older than me when she died. I wanted to ask Chiron about her but I could tell the conversation was over. He must have really liked her, to still feel pain about her death all this time later.

Would he think about Percy and I long after we were gone? Would he see our faces in the children of Poseidon that would come after us? I didn't like thinking about our deaths, but it was comforting somehow, to feel like someone would remember us long after we were gone. I tried very hard to ignore the mind numbing fear the thought of Percy dying gave me.

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed tiredly. After everything that happened since we left Montauk I felt exhausted. I had been waiting for this day for so long and I had somehow thought that when this day came I could finally rest. That when I got to camp it would it would be proof enough to quiet the little voice in my mind that kept whispering thoughts about going crazy and becoming delusional. Everything that happened since Montauk was the final proof I needed to know that I really wasn't going insane. All the other things that happened to me could be explained away as delusions that only I could see, but this, there was an entire camp filled with people who could see what I could.

The voice in my head did go away only to make room for an even louder voice yelling to me that I was going to die a horribly painful death, and that my stupidity was going to cause my brother to die right along with me.

I was so done with everything that I was praying to anyone who would listen for the day to be over. I wanted to climb into bed beside my brother and drown in blissful oblivion. I needed a moment to rest my mind. Too much had happened in too little time. Things seemed to be spiraling out of control and I had a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me this was only the beginning.

"Rhea!" Dagwood yelled cheerfully when we reached the archery range. "How do you like camp so far? Is it awesome, or freaking awesome! I bet you can't believe your own eyes," he grinned happily.

I looked around seeing a lot of blonde kids shooting at targets, some doing amazing tricks with an arrow worthy of the great and wonderful Hawkeye. These had to be the kids from the Apollo cabin, Will's siblings. A couple of them were looking at us and obviously gossiping about me. It felt a little like I was the new kid on the play ground in a small town called Forks. If, for some strange reason, I spotted a couple of sparkly dudes running around that weren't Apollo's kids, I'd be out of there faster than they could say Edward Cullen.

I turned back to Dag with a small smile. "Yep," I nodded, after giving the kids talking looking at me a 'friendly' smile. "It's pretty cool, I can't wait to show my brother, he's gonna freak."

Percy totally would, too. It would probably become an arduous task trying to make him believe the Greek gods were real. I didn't mind though, it would be hilarious to watch. Seriously; entertainment at its finest.

"Where's Will?" I asked when I couldn't find the son of Apollo anywhere.

"Oh, he had to go back to the infirmary. One of his siblings accidentally shot a kid from the Ares cabin in the butt after he insulted everyone who practices archery by calling them a bunch of 'cowardly bitches'," he said trying but failing to hide his snicker. "Poor guy had to go fix the injury."

Ew. One good reason to never become a medic; it would keep me far away from the asses of Ares' children. Poor Will.

"Ah, it seems that's my cue," Chiron sighed. "Silas, show your friend the way to cabin eleven, get her settled in." He turned to me to give me a warm smile. "Welcome to camp Half-blood. Come find me if you need anything. I'm sure we'll speak to each other later, Rhea Jackson."

"Thank you, Chiron, but, ehm quick question before you leave?"

"Of course, what is it, Child?"

"Can I stay in the infirmary with Percy until he wakes up. I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my brother alone for too long, especially not in a place he doesn't know. Besides, it would be better if I'm around when he wakes up."

"I see no reason why you can't," he agreed readily, making me give him a beaming smile.

"Silas will still have to show you the Hermes cabin, introduce you to rest of your cabin mates, but you can sleep in the infirmary until young Perseus wakes."

"Thanks Chiron, you're pretty damn awesome!"

Chiron gave me a smile filled with wry amusement. "I do try," he said before galloping away. Centaurs were fucking amazing, and they were kinda beautiful to watch, too.

"Let's go, Lady Rhea, your cabin awaits," Dag joked before turning to walk out of the archery range.

"So," I started once I caught up to Dag. "The Hermes cabin, what can you tell me about it?"

"Don't leave your belongings lying around," Dag immediately answered with a serious expression painting his features.

"Right, Hermes the god of thieves. Does that mean his kids are the same?"

"Most definitely. Ninety percent of them would have been thrown into jail for criminal activities if they weren't so damn good at not getting caught. Besides, even if they do get caught they mostly manage to talk themselves out of it."

"Because their dad is also the god of eloquent speaking and trickery?" I offered.

"Yeah," Dag gave me a strange look. "How did you know?"

"I'm allowed to know things," I sniffed haughtily.

"Weirdo," Dag muttered. "Anyway, my point was, the smartest piece of advice I can give you is to pretend you're being thrown in juvie."

"Why?" I asked incredulously.

"Because that's basically the Hermes cabin described in one word. They will try to steal from you, they will try to prank you, and they will try to trick you into becoming their minions." He stopped walking to give me an intensely serious look. "Trust no one, and you'll be fine." He started walking again and added an offhanded, "Probably."

I was starting to like this situation less and less. I ran to catch up to Dag and gave him a sharp glare once I reached him. "Probably?" I asked trying but failing to sound unconcerned.

"Eh," Dag shrugged after giving me a considering look. "Knowing you, you'll fit right in."

I frowned thoughtfully. "I have the feeling that was just insulted to my face, but since you're probably right, I don't really care."

"No insults, just truth," Dag said trying but failing to look innocent.

"Yeah," I drawled. "Now I'm really sure about the insult. You should feel lucky that I actually like you, punk," I muttered, as I followed Dag towards twelve cabins shaped in a large U sign.

The first cabin was probably meant to look large and impressive, it just gave me the feeling that Zeus was trying to compensate for something. The holographic lightning bolts, and the sound of thunder wasn't giving me the warm fuzzies either. I vividly remember how I had died, it was ironically enough not one of the memories that had faded with time. A lot like the memory of reading the books, now that I thought about it. Maybe Mr. Vogel was doing a lot more rearranging in my mind than I had initially thought.

The thought made me clench my fists and jaw in anger.

"Yeah, I know," Dag sighed. "Grover told me all about it. The sound of thunder is probably not a good memory for you after what happened the other night," Dag said softly, giving me sideways looks of concern.

"It's fine," I muttered through clenched teeth. Zeus was in all honesty the least of my problems.

He sighed deeply, before giving me a comforting pat on the shoulder. "This is Zeus' cabin."

"No," I said dryly. "I would've never guessed."

"Yes, I think the design is very telling," he offered diplomatically.

"Let's just be honest here; the dude's obviously not going to be winning any contests on subtlety anytime soon."

The sky above me rumbled threateningly.

"Rhea," Dag warned. "Do not call the supreme lord of the sky 'dude'. It's heavily frowned upon."

"Clearly," I grumbled, sending the sky a irritated look. Seriously, could he not rumble the sky every time he had to fart? It was like he was announcing it or something. He reminded me of my first incarnation's best friend's great uncle Willy. He used to ask us to pull his finger during mealtime and then proceeded to fart the alphabet. He never made it past the letter E, but still. We learned early on not to pull on anything with him around.

"The cabin is empty since there currently are no demigod children of Zeus."

I was still feeling a bit resentful about the attempted murder of my family and Grover so I didn't really feel like watching my words.

"Seriously? Zeus has no demigod children? Isn't he the dude that coined the term manwhore?"

The sky above us rumbled and turned cloudy and grey. "For Pan's sake, Rhea. What did I tell you about calling the king of the gods 'dude'? Also," he added with a meek look at the rumbling sky. "Don't call him a manwhore."

I shrugged casually. "I call 'em like I see them, my friend. All the old stories are filled with his sexual escapades. That dude...oh, I'm sorry, I mean god, will do anything to get laid." I gave Dag a mock subtle look and mock whispered "Bestiality," at him. The sky above us rumbled in displeasure making Dag palm his forehead.

"Stop talking. Seriously. You're going to get yourself killed and I don't think he cares about his aim enough to not hit me."

"I'm so glad all your concern about me being hit by a lightning bolt comes from self interest," I drawled. "You're a good protector, dag. Ten points."

Dag gave me a sheepish look as he scratched the side of his head. "Shut up," he muttered as he ducked his head to hide the blush. "I'm an awesome protector. I'll protect you from monsters left and right, but not your own stupidity. Especially not after I've warned you not to insult your would-be killer." He cocked his head with a puzzled expression on his face. "How'd you know I'm your protector anyway. I didn't tell you about that, I think." He scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I don't actually remember if I told you," he muttered.

Ah crap. "Um, I don't remember if you told me, either. It's just that Groser guy-"

"Grover," he interrupted dryly.

"Whatever. He told us he was Percy's protector, so I figured you were mine. Am I wrong?"

"Frequently," he grinned. "But not about this."

"Oh, fuck you," I grinned back.

"Nah, you're not my type," Dag shrugged casually. "I like my girls sane."

I gave him a wide eyed look before getting over my shock and smirking at him. "Ha! I knew I didn't lose my touch. I totally corrupted you."

"No idea what you're talking about," he sniffed haughtily. He turned to the cabin on the right. "This is Hera's cabin. It's empty of course, it's just an honorary cabin."

When I cocked my brow, silently asking him to elaborate, he just shrugged and said, "She's the goddess of marriage, so naturally she's not one to have affairs with mortals."

I quickly hid my grin and tried to keep my lips from twitching. "Of course not," I agreed solemnly. "That's her husband's job." Ha! Grover's line signed, sealed, and delivered.

Dag gave the rumbling sky a fearful look before giving me a fierce scowl. "Stop talking and close your mouth. He willmurder you, have you seriously never heard what happens to people who offend him? He has killed people for less."

"Did I tell a single lie, or exaggerate in any way?" I queried in what I hoped was honest puzzlement. I was actually having trouble keeping a straight face.

Dag bit his lip anxiously. "Well...no, not rea-" he started before stopping suddenly.

"Quit flinging insults before you get incinerated, Rhea," he warned.

"How is anything I'm saying insulting, or potentially life threatening? He's the god of justice, right? He can't go around incinerating people for telling the truth."

Yeah right. He tried to murder my entire mortal family and Grover on an unfounded suspicion. God of justice my finely toned ass.

Dag's features twisted into something that to him must have seemed like a menacing glare, but in reality looked more like something that belonged on the face of a confused baby goat.

"If you're trying to get yourself killed, that's your business, but don't drag me into this. The gods work in mysterious ways, that's all I have to say about it," he muttered.

"Fine," I sighed. "I'll try restrain myself from telling the truth. Especially if telling the truth is considered so offensive it means getting a lightning bolt in the face."

It was probably a good idea to keep my opinions to myself. Pissing off Zeus was never a good plan, but I was honestly more worried about Hera. She seemed like a vindictive little bitch if offended. More importantly I didn't think she'd care if killing me started a war. She did let that statue fall on Annabeth while she was on her way to stop Kronos from destroying the gods seats of power.

I mean seriously, priorities anyone?

If Thalia hadn't pushed Annabeth out of the way she wouldn't have made it to Kronos and Annabeth was instrumental in getting Luke to assert control over my evil grandfather. Without Annabeth they probably would've lost the war.

Yeah, Hera was not a good enemy to have.

"Good," Dagwood huffed.

"So is there a reason why Zeus currently has no demigod children? I only ask because the old stories are filled with his demigod children kicking ass and taking names. It's kinda weird not to have a few of them running around."

Dag gave me a long look before sighing. "Chiron will probably want to explain everything to you later, but the cliffnotes version is that Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon made an oath to stop having demigod kids somewhere around world war II," Dag shrugged uncomfortably.

I cocked my head thoughtfully as if contemplating something. "I think couples therapy was just starting to rear its ugly head around that time. Did their wives drag them off to attend a couple of sessions?"

Dagwood snorted and simultaneously made a chocking sound in the back of his throat before he started to laugh hysterically, which quickly turned into an uncontrollable cough. I pounded his back a couple of times trying to help him through his coughing fit. When he finally stopped coughing he gave me a look filled with humor as he wiped away his tears.

"Stop talking. Really. One way or another it's going to get me killed."

"What did I do?" I asked innocently. "No seriously, what?" I added when the only answer I received was a raised brow.

Dag shook his head, eyes glinting with humor. "Don't ever change, my friend. Just don't."

"Fine don't tell me," I pouted. "So Zeus has no living demigod kids, that we know off, at least, " I said remembering Jason and Thalia. "Which is probably a good thing 'cause I can imagine Hera getting pissed if all those couples therapy sessions didn't pan out."

"That's an understatement. Hera always tries to punish Zeus for cheating on her by going after his lovers or children," Dag explained soberly.

"Well," I drawled in a tone of wry amusement. "Let's hope we're not one of Zeus' many by-blows, then."

"That's not funny, Rhea," Dag snapped irritably. "Zeus' kids have a hard time trying to steer clear of Hera's temper. She hates his kids, do you not know how often she's tried to kill them."

I raised my brow questioningly. "This I gotta hear," I said curiously. "I haven't heard myths about the queen of the gods running around the earth trying to off her husbands bastard children with a butcher knife. I pretty sure I would've remembered that," I added dryly.

"Not personally," Dag explained, "And certainly not with a butcher knife," he added with an air of exasperation. "She has other ways of getting the job done, methods that can't be traced back to her."

"You make her sound like some kind of super spy, or ninja assassin," I snorted amusedly.

"Have you not heard about Hercules and the way she cursed him? She has a habit of making the lives of Zeus' children so miserable they often wish she had killed them," Dag said soberly. "Pray to every god in the heavens that you and your brother are not Zeus' children. It would not be a kind fate to you."

"Whatever," I snorted. "I can't say that I'd blame her, anyway."

"What?" Dag asked incredulously.

"Think about it. If my husband couldn't keep it in his pants I'd be pissed off, too. Hell, I'd become downright murderous. Admittedly, I wouldn't be trying to kill his bastard offspring; I'd be trying to kill the bastard that cheated on me. I do get where she's coming from, though."

Dagwood gave me an incredulous look. "You're condoning her actions?" he spluttered. "She's going after innocent demigods, children that have no say in how they were born," he protested. "You can't tell me you agree with that decision."

I half shrugged. "Agree? No. Understand? Sure. Say what you will about the queen of the gods, but that is one strong lady."

Dag shook his head in horrified shock. "I have no words," he settled on saying after searching for a reply to my statement.

"Seriously, think about it. Her husband cheats on her, time after time, and not only does she have to find a way to deal with it, she has to sit with what, four or five of his bastard children on the same council. It doesn't even matter that some of them were conceived before he married her, it still has to sting."

I'd hate it. It would be like someone rubbing my inadequacies into my face day after day. Becoming a homicidal ax-murderer hell-bent on destroying my husband's ability to get laid and procreate would have been the least severe action I would have taken.

"Alright," Dag frowned. "I can understand that that must be difficult, but it doesn't make it okay for her to try to kill her husband's lovers, or his innocent children," he said disapprovingly. "That's just wrong."

Meh. Wrong is a relative term.

"I'm not saying it's right," I defended. "But imagine having to deal with being cheated on for fucking centuries, and not being able to do much of anything about it. To have to swallow that disrespect.. that's gotta be a living hell. That goddess must have a core made of steel, and restraint like you wouldn't believe. I would've snapped a long, long time ago."

Seriously. Temporary insanity would have been a plea-bargain invented just for me.

"True, that would, admittedly, be a bitter pill to swallow. But still... restraint? She's tried to kill his lovers and children left and right, and has been pretty successful so far. How is that showing restraint?"

"I wasn't talking about showing restraint towards killing her husband's lovers and children, I was talking about her not yet having killed her husband. Zeus must have balls of steel, that's all I'm saying."

"What," Dag spluttered. "Why would you say something like that? And out loud, too."

"If it was me, and I was forced to interact with children my husband fathered with another woman, I'd be spending the entire day fantasizing about cutting off his testicles and penis, and force feeding them to him from a silver platter. Seriously, he disrespected her as his wife, as his sister and as a woman, how he can anyone possibly think she's okay with that. Hell, fantasizing about feeding him his testicles would be nothing compared to shit I'd be thinking up."

"But... Well, she can't expect her husband to just stop womanizing altogether, that's just the way he's always been. That's how all the male and most of the female gods are," Dagwood protested weakly.

I scoffed disbelievingly. "So you're telling me she shouldn't have expected him to remain faithful after he married her? She's the goddess of marriage, what else was she supposed to believe?"

"She knew who he was long before they got married," Dag said. "I'm not saying he has the right to cheat on her, but she should have known... and maybe not have expected so much of him," he added hesitantly.

"Sure," I snorted. "You're absolutely right, she should've just admitted to herself and the world that her domain is pretty much a bunch of pretty lies," I said trying to come off as sarcastic, but sounding bitter instead. I shrugged uncomfortably when Dag gave me a sharp look.

I had no faith whatsoever in the institution of marriage. Not anymore. It was tainted in my previous life and this life was only adding to it. I was conceived out of an affair between a married man and a woman who knew she was sleeping with another woman's husband.

I loved my parents to death, but that didn't mean I was blind to their faults. Mom knew dad wasn't hers to touch, and dad may love my mother now, but I'm pretty sure it started out as hitting on unsuspecting women at the beach. Dad was pretty much a manwhore, too.

"Look, every marriage is different and just because some marriages are unhappy or end up in divorce doesn't mean you should stop believing in it altogether. It's just... They're gods, what else do you expect."

I barely managed to suppress a snort at that question. Numerous answers came to me but the two that stuck with me most were; better and more. If we were taught to expect so little of the gods, but were still supposed to respect them and look up to them... I wasn't sure I could do that. If we never asked them to be better, to be more, how would anything ever change. The old adage of you are what you eat came to mind, only in this case, you are what you worship.

I shook that scary thought out of my mind. Things would change, my brother would see to that. He would change the status quo, demand that they be better than what they were. And I, I would be there to support him.

"Not much, apparently," I muttered. "Look, I'm not saying she's right, ok? All I'm trying to say is that I understand where she's coming from. It must suck ass for Zeus' kids, especially the demigod children since it would be a lot harder for them to fight back, so to speak. And I get that it would be irrational to blame the child for the sins of the father. But matters of the heart are rarely viewed rationally."

"It's not our place to judge if it's wrong, or right," Dag said hesitantly, with a thoughtful frown on his face.

"Of course," I nodded mockingly. "But only if it's about Zeus, right. I mean, when it was about Hera you were very willing and ready to judge. No matter the fact that Zeus just basically pulled out his penis and pissed all over her domain."

"What?" Dag asked incredulously. "Zeus did not do that. Where do you come up with this shit?"

I quickly suppressed a small smirk at hearing Dagwood say shit. I was a bad influence in the poor guy. Before he met me he would've said crap, or poop. Ha! Score one for me, spreading my bad influence one Satyr at a time.

"Think about it," I said slowly. "Hera is the goddess of marriage, right? So Zeus repeatedly cheating on her, bringing his children into her life to forcefully remind her of that fact is nothing like pissing all over her domain at all. Yeah right. It would be like Hera committing the worst of crimes and then after she gets caught going all, but it doesn't really matter, now does it, Husband? It's just your silly little domain of justice, nothing to write home about."

"No, it isn't," he protested. "Well, alright, maybe, but only a just a little. I think." He scratched his head. "I don't know. You've confused me again. Why do you always do that?" He almost whined.

"You're part goat, not sheep, don't follow the popular opinion. Hell, you don't even have to agree with mine. Think about something from all sides and then form your own opinion on it. I'm not saying Zeus is the bad guy and Hera is a saint, hell no. I don't know what goes on in their marriage. I'm not saying cheating is wrong or right. Who am I to make a judgement about that? Hell, unless either Hermes or Apollo turns out be be my dad, I'm definitely going to be a byproduct of a cheating husband, or boyfriend in Ares' case. Is that wrong? I don't know, I can't be the judge of that. I do respect the hell out of that woman. I know there were times where she went bat-shit insane over this issue. All I can say about that is that I would've handled it much, much worse."

Besides, buttering up the queen of the gods never hurt. With any luck she'd even defend us from her husband. It was a long shot, admittedly, but worth the effort.

"Ugh, Rhea, you're so weird. You're the only demigod who'd ever feel bad for Hera."

Yeah well, those other demigod children probably didn't have their first life torn apart by a cheating husband in such a bad way it ended up getting them killed. I was honestly still feeling bitter about that. I never forgot the way I died, probably because of a certain bastard that decided I'd make a good minion. I never would have gone to that place if it wasn't for my douche bag of a husband. Love sucked ass. That's why I had no plans at all to fall in love. Aphrodite could go suck it, big time, if she thought she could mess with my love life, because I wasn't planning on having one. At all.

"I never said I felt bad for her," I protested indignantly, "I just said that I get where she's coming from, and that I admire the hell out of her fortitude. Feeling bad for her implies that I pity her, which I don't. I'm not that stupid," I added wryly.

Feeling pity for a being who could flatten me with a thought, yeah, not fucking likely.

Dag turned to me and gave me a mischievous smirk, "Really? I never would have guessed."

I snorted and smacked his arm in retaliation. "Go fuck yourself, Dagwood," I grinned.

"Nah, I'm good thanks," he sniffed. "I'm not into narcissism, either."

"Alright, now you're just being a smart ass," I mock frowned.

"I learned from the best," he shot back, mischievous grin still firmly in place.

"Let's just on with the rest of the tour, goat boy," I grumbled good naturally. Honestly, though, I was so damn proud. The Dagwood I had met at the beginning of the school year had been such a nerd. Not that there was anything wrong with being nerdy. No, the problem was that he was a wimpy nerd with the social skills of a retarded house plant. He had grown so much; this Dagwood gave as good as he got.

"As you wish," he said primly.

I cocked my brow at him inquisitively. "Something you want to tell me, Dagwood?"

"What?" he asked, a look of bewilderment painting his features.

"You going all Princess Bride on me?" We had seen the movie at school on a rainy Sunday afternoon when I was feeling particularity homesick for a life a could no longer return to, and Dagwood had loved it.

"What?" he chocked, turning bright red. "I didn't mean it like that!" he denied hotly. "I just meant-"

Yep, the awkward guy I had met not too long ago was still in there somewhere. And even though I was very proud of how much Dagwood had grown, it was still nice to know the old him was still around. He was fun to embarrass, and honestly; I had to get my kicks in somewhere.

"Whatever goat boy, you know I'm way out of your league."

"But-, I didn't mean-," he stopped when he saw the grin on my face. "Oh you are evil," he groaned.

"Yes," I agreed readily.

"The evilest of evil," he spat.

"That too," I nodded proudly.

"Why am I friends with you again?" he sighed exasperatedly.

"Not just friends... best friends."

"There must be something wrong with me," he groaned. He shot me a glare when I stayed silent. "You can disagree with that statement at anytime, you know," he said dryly.

I opened my eyes wide and gave him my most innocent smile. "But you always tell me not to lie."

Dagwood face palmed. "I walked right into that one," he groaned.

I nodded emphatically. "You really did."

Dagwood huffed and turned to walk away, expecting me to follow him. He stopped at the cabin on the left of Zeus' cabin and I didn't even need to take a closer look at it to know that it was mine. It felt like home, it smelt like Montauk, and more importantly; like dad.

The big bronze trident with the number three on top gleamed like it was welcoming me home. I involuntarily took a couple of steps forward but Dagwood grabbed me by the arm and stopped me from getting any closer.

"We do not enter a god's cabin without express permission from either the deity in question or of their godly offspring," Dag murmured softly with his face looking alarmingly pale. "Since we have neither...," he stopped to take a deep breath, "Stop trying to get yourself, and me by association, killed you moronic ape!" he yelled fiercely.

"Woah, calm down dude," I said trying dislodge his fingers from my poor and abused limb.

"Calm down, calm down?" Dagwood asked, his voice reaching a hysterical pitch.

"Yeah, seriously, Dag, I wasn't gonna enter," I tried halfheartedly to calm his ire. My arm was throbbing and I couldn't quite hide the wince when his nails dug into it.

What the actual fuck, Silas Dagwood had just turned into Super Goat. I knew I was strong, hell I was probably the only demigod in existence who knew just how different we were from mortals. I had lived in a mortal body before and being a demigod was beyond compare. I rarely got sick, I healed way faster then any other mortal, and while I wasn't exactly Buffy the vampire Slayer, I was stronger then the average bear, or mortal as the case may be.

I knew what being a demigod meant better than most, that's why I was so surprised that my peace-loving herbivore friend - and honestly would I ever be able to think, speak, or even hear the word herbivore without my mind immediately jumping to the Psycho prefect from Namimori? - who was currently pulling a Dark Willow on me, had managed to hurt me with his bare hands.

"And that's another thing; what have I told you about lying?"

Aw crap, damage control for the win. No lies, though, I was pretty sure he could smell them in Super goat mode. I widened my sea green eyes and pushed out my lower lip. "I'm sorry," I mumbled sincerely. "It was just so pretty, and it called to me. Chiron hinted that I might be Triton's kid," I explained.

"Wait what?" Dag asked as he slowly let go of my arm. "When?"

I shook my arm a little to get the blood circulation going. Damn, goat-boy had a good grip when he was pissed. "When he was giving me the tour. He said I looked a lot like a daughter of Triton he once knew," I shrugged. "Apparently the chick died or went missing, or whatever."

"So Triton is your dad?" Dagwood asked slowly as if he was tasting the words. I offered another shrug.

"Then why hasn't he claimed you?"

"Er, Dag," I began hesitantly, "I got the impression that not every kid got claimed by their godly parent."

"Well no, but you're different. I mean, you're amazing. You're smart and funny, even if you are way too sarcastic for my tastes. And you do lie a lot; and the cursing, my gods the cursing..."

"Thanks, I think," I said dryly. "You actually going anywhere with this?"

"Yes, my point is that any god would be lucky to have you as their daughter. For Pan's sake you defeated the Minotaur!" he exclaimed.

"Well, that was mostly Percy," I protested halfheartedly, "I only helped, a little."

Dagwood patted my shoulder comfortingly, "You probably had it in the ropes and then your brother came to finish it off," he said loyally, making me smile fondly at him.

"That's not even remotely close to what happened, but thanks," I grinned. "You're a good friend, Silas Dagwood."

"Oh I know," he nodded, "And you're very lucky to have me. Seriously though, You don't need to worry, your dad will claim you soon," he said consolingly. The vaguely threatening mutter of; "If he knows what's good for him," was said near silently. And though it did give me a warm and fuzzy feeling in the pit of my stomach, I pretended not to hear it, knowing it would make Dag feel embarrassed.

"I'm not worried," I said, smiling warmly at Dagwood. I really was lucky to have him, no matter how our friendship may have started and no matter how many secrets we kept from each other. "My dad will claim us when he's ready, I can be patient," I added and proceeded to ignore Dagwood's disbelieving snort. "It's Percy I'm worried about."

"What about him?" Dag asked confusedly as he lead me to the cabin right across from mine.

"He's going to see dad not claiming us as him abandoning us, once again. He's sensitive about our dad, he's always been that way, and mom not telling is things didn't help in the slightest.

Dag nodded thoughtfully. "Most demigod kids are sensitive about this issue, I honestly don't get how you aren't," he inquired eyeing me sharply.

I shrugged innocently. "I'm just special that way," I offered.

"Special with the capital R?" he snarked.

"Where the hell did you learn how to spell?" I asked dryly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for your kind words and patience. All mistakes are mine. Temul was kind enough to beta this chapter for me, she's a life saver.
> 
> Answer: Well it's actually a difficult question. I love Poseidon, but I often shake my head at his less then stellar parental skills. There's no question in my mind that he love Percy and Tyson, not one. But I don't think he knows how to show it. He needs to talk to his kids, and I get that he can't do it personally, but I think there are ways he could get around it. The times where he was actual allowed to interact with his kids were few, but I don't feel like he used those opportunities as he should have. I would've sat my son down and talked to him about everything and nothing instead of the awkward small talk that he keeps exchanging with Percy.
> 
> In short; I have mixed feelings about the dude.
> 
> Question: What do you want to happen in this story? Which part are you anticipating?


	10. The Status Quo

As Dag droned on about the other cabins and the gods they represented I allowed a small smile to curl my lips. A smile filled with nostalgia, but mostly relief. It felt good knowing that whatever else changed around me I could always count on Dag to calm my mind. The funny thing was that he wasn't doing anything special or specific, he was just being Silas Dagwood. I had worried that when the truth came out he'd somehow stop being who he had always been for me. It was pretty ironic that to me, listening to a half man half goat-like creature talk about Olympian gods and mythological creatures, felt like the height of normalcy. Silas Dagwood calmed me down and made me think; made me stop and take a much needed, deep, breath.

I think it was because he was often prone to panicking about small things that it made me automatically calm myself down in order to soothe his worries and take charge of the situation.

Regardless of the reason it felt good to be even remotely in control of my emotions again. I could pretend 'till the cows came home and then I could pretend to the cows, too, but it wouldn't make a damn bit of difference.

The simple truth was; I was scared out of my fucking mind.

My eyes widened in horrified shock when I heard Mr. Vogel's voice whisper through my mind; 'That's because shit just got real, Sweetheart.'

Ancients beings like I suspected him to be, had no business talking like that. Seriously, he sounded like a bad impersonation of thug. He couldn't pull that off, especially not with that aristocratic accented voice of his that gave everyone around him the impression that his shit didn't stink.

I ignored the small tendrils of fear that curled in my gut at the thought of him having such easy access to my mind.

'Don't be scared, lovely one. You'll grow used to the sensation easily enough,' he said reassuringly, using his usual high-bread tone of voice. 'In time you'll even come to like it.' He spoke with certainty and conviction; as if he was saying the sun would rise tomorrow.

No matter how annoying it felt to hear his voice filled with superiority, it suited him much more than any other way he could talk. "That's better," I muttered, commenting on his return to normal, feeling anything but reassured.

"What's better?" Dagwood asked, as he cut off his lecture on Artemis' cabin and why she was the most beautiful and kindest goddess and definitely worth worshiping.

"Oh, nothing," I sighed, reflectively ignoring the amused snickering that only I could seem to hear. "So, about Artemis, you were saying?"

"No, no, no," Dag protested, shaking his index finger at me. " I can recognize avoidance tactics when I see them. Especially coming from you," he added pointedly. "Tell me what's got you looking like someone's trying to make you see a Penelope Cruz movie?"

I reflexively grimaced in disgust. I abhorred that abomination of an actress. the fact that people actually managed to watch a movie she was in without killing themselves remained a mysteries in both my life times. I had high hopes when I was reborn in this new world that she wouldn't exist, instead there seemed to be even more of her movies. Someone was very obviously trying to punish me for something I had done in some past life I didn't remember living. Some evil deed like kicking puppies or stealing candy from babies.

"I don't really wanna talk about it," I sighed, feeling more than a little exhausted. "Things are finally catching up to me, that's all."

Dagwood gave me a long and searching look before finally opening his arms and tilting his head slightly. "Do you need a hug?" he asked earnestly.

I gave a surprised laugh and nodded quickly. "Yeah, I kinda do," I mumbled before stepping into my best friend's warm embrace. Dagwood wasn't Percy, and he never could be, but he brought me comfort in a way, that at times, not even my brother could.

I stayed in his arms for a couple of minutes, ignoring the stares we must be receiving and enjoying his comforting arms and the blissful silence of a mind completely absent of any thought but my own.

"Okay, can we stop hugging now? My arms are getting tired and it's starting to get a little awkward."

I stepped out of his embrace with a happy laugh, giving him a punch in the arm. "Stop being a whiny bitch, Dagwood."

"Hey," he grinned holding up his palms in mock surrender. "I'll admit to the whole whiny thing, but the bitch part? That's all you, Sweetheart."

My nose curled up in disgust. "Ugh, don't call me that, I hate being called sweetheart."

"Since when?" Dag asked incredulously, with raised eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and grimaced, "Since five minutes ago. You don't wanna know, trust me on this," I muttered. Honestly, I wished I didn't know I had an immortal with an all access pass to my mind. I've said it before and I'll say it again; ignorance truly can be bliss.

"No, tell me," Dag insisted. "You got someone at school following you around calling you sweetheart?" he joked. His eyes widened when I winced. It was technically the truth. "You do, why haven't I noticed this?" he bit his lower lip, "I'm a terrible protector," he groaned.

"Alright, tell me who it is and when we go back to school I'll open one of my special cans, instead of eating it."

He did some strange move with his arms that I was pretty sure was supposed to look like a martial-arts move but looked more like Steve Urkel trying to dance.

"My special can of whoop ass!" He tried to do a high kick but tripped over air and landed on the ground. He quickly got up from the ground and dusted his clothes, his ears and cheekbones tinged with red. "I totally meant to do that."

"I'm sure you did," I agreed dryly, eyebrow raised mockingly.

"Oh, shut up," he mumbled embarrassed. "Now tell me who's been calling you sweetheart behind my back."

I gave Dag a long searching look. I really wanted to tell him about Mr. Vogel. I was dealing with so much at this point, it would be a relief to unload some of my burdens onto someone trustworthy. No matter how he became my friend, no matter how much of a distrustful paranoid lunatic I sometimes was, I had a distinct feeling I could trust Dagwood with this, and much more.

Book Percy had trusted Grover with his life and Grover had been a good and loyal friend to him. And, if everything went right for once, Grover would take the same place in my Percy's life. Luke having breasts and no sightings of Annabeth Chase was starting to make me suspicious that I had somehow landed in the Bizarro version of Percy Jackson's world, so it honestly wouldn't surprise me if this Grover turned out to be Kronos' long lost son and heir, or something equally ridiculous.

"You're my friend, aren't you Silas?" I asked solemnly, as I studied him like a bug under a microscope.

His eyes widened at the use of his first name. I rarely called him Silas and on the rare occasions that I did it was a sign for him to pay attention. He looked me in the eye; calm and collected, even under my careful scrutiny.

"I am," he almost whispered. "You can trust me, Rhea. As your protector, my first priority will always be your safety," he said evenly. His tone softened, "And as yours best friend my first priority will always be having your back; in whatever way you need."

I nodded slowly and tilted my head slightly sideways without breaking eye contact. "Chiron assigned you to-"

"-Be your protector. Me becoming your friend wasn't because it made it easier to protect you; that was just a bonus. I became your friend because of who you are, and because of who I am. My loyalty is to you, as I know yours is to me. What you tell me stays between us. Always," he vowed fervently.

I held eye contact for a long couple of seconds before nodding decisively. "Okay," I whispered near silently. "Okay."

I didn't think all satyrs and demigods had such a close connections as the one Percy and Grover seemed to share, but I was now certain Dagwood and I shared one just as strong.

Dagwood gave me a small but warm smile. "Tell me," he said softly.

So I did. Nothing about my reincarnation/acid trip, of course. That secret I planned on taking to my grave, but I told him all about Mr. Vogel. About every one of our encounters, the things he said (or at least the ones that had nothing to do with my rebirth) and every other thing I could think including the fact that I was now apparently hearing voices.

"Wait, wait, wait... Mr. Vogel is a..." Dag paled, looking like he might toss his cookies at any moment. "Noooo..."

"Yes. And apparently he's chosen me as his Champion."

"Noooo," Dagwood repeated, still looking like someone whose entire world view had just shifted dramatically; and most definitely not in a good way. I could relate.

"Which god is he?" he asked looking almost panicked. "He's not Lord Hades, right?" he squeaked. "I mean, whenever Mr. Vogel looked at me with his glare of doom I always had this feeling that I would never be happy again."

I snorted before giving him an incredulous look. "Are you quoting Harry Potter at me? Seriously, stop overreacting," I muttered. "It's not like he's actually a Dementor, you know."

Dagwood grabbed my shoulders en gave me a small shake. "Are you sure?" he demanded. "Because I'm telling you, the guy creeped me out like you wouldn't believe. He's scary Rhea. If he's not Lord Hades then he's probably some other deity that has something to do with death...or torture...or any other unpleasant thing."

"The god of unpleasant things," I murmured contemplatively, "Now that I do believe."

"Is he very awful?" Dag asked tentatively. The grip he had on my shoulders loosened slightly and became something softer and comforting.

I sent Dag a look that screamed 'What the hell do you think' which I think he understood perfectly because I saw him cringe. It felt good to discuss my fear of the complication that was my Patron with my best friend. Even if I couldn't tell him everything, what little I could tell him was enough to make me feel better.

"No, I mean in your head. I know he's awful in real life but how does it feel to have him in your head?"

"Not pleasant? I don't know what you want me to say, Dag. The problem is the fact that he is in my head in the first place. My mind is supposed to be private, my thoughts are for me alone. I don't need running commentary from the peanut gallery every time I need to use the bathroom."

I wasn't sure what to say to Dagwood to explain how I truly felt about someone having access to my every thought, having that much access to...well, me. I had trouble letting down my walls around my own brother, and here comes this guy walking into my life who had the ability to read me like a manual for dummies. How was that supposed to be fair?

I gave Dag a concerned look when he started to look a little green around the gills. "He gives you commentary when you need to take a dump?" he asked in horrified shock. "He actually watches you go to the bathroom? How about when you shower, what does he say then?"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation at my best friend. "I'm just trying to make a point. As far as I know he hasn't been peeping on me, and I'm kinda hoping that he won't in the future."

"As far as you know," Dag said flatly, voicing one of my own fears.

I lifted my hand to my eyes and rubbed them tiredly. I hadn't been awake for that long but after the day I'd been having, I felt like sleeping for at least a week.

"Yeah, as far as I know," I reiterated grimly.

Dag took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "Look, seriously, do you know who this guy is? Because if you don't you should consider figuring it out sooner rather than later. He may have disguised his order with pretty words and promises of a gift when you complete your task, but I can spot an command when I hear one."

I shrugged casually even though I felt anything but casual about the entire ordeal. "I have some ideas but nothing conclusive," I offered ambiguously. "I'm pretty sure it's beyond easy to figure out once I put all the pieces of the puzzle together, but I'm honestly too tired to make any effort at this point in time."

Dag gave me a worried frown while he bit the bottom of his lip making me exhale loudly.

"Alright, spit it out," I said resignedly. Dag always bit his lip when he wanted to say something but wasn't sure he should, or if his words would be well received. It was one of his most obvious tells.

"I think you should make this your priority," he blurted out. "I get that there's a lot happening right now and that your world just literally changed pretty much overnight, but to disobey a command from a god is one of the worst things you could ever do. They're not like us," he said softly, like he was confiding a well kept secret to me.

"He's not going to understand that your head is too full to think about anything right now, let alone reenact an episode of Blue's Clues. I get it, but he wont. He'll be angry, or disappointed, or I don't even know what. And where he will gift you with something precious were you to follow his command and complete your task, he'll do the complete opposite if you don't. Physical pain, mental torture, curses, there are too many things to name, but he could, and probably would, 'gift' you with all of the above."

I looked at Dagwood's solemn face and swallowed heavily. "But, I mean, it can't be that bad right?" I asked slowly, fearing the answer I could already read in Dag's eyes.

"Probably worse," he admitted soberly. "Figure it out. I'm not even gonna help you with this even though he might not have said anything about being allowed to ask for help, I'm not taking any chances."

"Yeah, alright," I nodded distractedly. "Let's continue the rest of the tour and than you can take me someplace isolated where I can sit and think in peace for awhile, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan," he nodded sharply. Dag pulled me along to show me the rest of the cabins but I was honestly not paying any attention to the words coming out of his mouth. I could tell, without even truly listening, that his heart wasn't really in it. He kept giving me side-ways glances filled with worry and fear. My behavior did nothing to dispel his worries since I basically went on auto pilot after linking my arm with his, and allowed him to pull me along for the ride.

Soon my mind was too occupied with everything that happened in the last couple of days to give Dag any thought, beyond the fact that his presence comforted and grounded me in the best possible ways, while I thought this thing through.

I knew a lot about gods, not just the Greek pantheon either. Ever since I was a little girl I had found them fascinating, and this was long before Percy Jackson's story was even written. I was a little less knowledgeable about the minor deities, but I knew enough to get by.

'The question is; what do I know about Mr. Vogel?'

The dude was powerful, no question about it. I didn't know if the gods could pull off what he did to me. Reincarnation of a soul? Some gods, sure. Take a soul from another dimension and insert them into the place you want and need them to be? I very much doubted it.

He was older than dirt, too. My dad was old, I felt it whenever he forgot to be in control and let his powers run free; it was this aching feeling in my bones. The few instances that Mr. Vogel allowed his aura, for lack of a better word, to flow over me it just made my bones itch uncontrollably. An itch that couldn't be scratched no matter how much I tried. He felt much older then my father; hell, my dad felt like a child compared to him, which brought me to my next point.

I got the distinct feeling that he was much more powerful than the Olympians. It was as if they were children playing a baseball game in the park compared to his playing in the Major League. He told me to look for that which didn't belong. I was intimately familiar with the powers Percy and I had inherited from our father and I hadn't noticed anything else cropping up.

"Hey, Dagwood," I started thoughtfully, immediately catching his attention. "You haven't seen me display any superpowers in the time that you've known me, have you?" I questioned with a small frown. I was pretty sure he wouldn't have any more an answers than I did but it couldn't hurt to ask.

Dag frowned thoughtfully, "No..." he drawled slowly before grinning mischievously. "Unless you count your uncanny ability to never be on time. Ever," he laughed, making me freeze. "That would really be a lame superpower though. I am Chronic girl, I will forever be chronically late to show up to fight the super villains! Worship me, dammit!" he yelled dramatically.

Dagwood joked around some more, trying to come up with lame names for a lame superhero power but I was miles away. Chronically late. My little curse that made it seem like time flew, or slowed to a crawl... That could be classified as something that didn't belong, couldn't it?

But, what did that mean? It wasn't as if this guy had the power to make sure no one was on time; that would be an moronically unnecessary power to have. I froze as I came to a sudden realization and it took everything I had to suppress a face palm of epic proportions. The fact that I was only now realizing this was very embarrassing. Time, his domain was time.

Which beings held power over time?

Well there was always Kronos, but somehow I doubted it. It would make absolutely no sense. My brother had defeated Kronos in the books and placing me here was hopefully not going to change that. I certainly wasn't going to take Kronos' side in this conflict, especially not against my brother. If he had something to do with my rebirth he would have been whispering in my ears like an insidious snake from the moment I was born. Waiting until I was fourteen years old to turn me against my twin brother was a stupid idea that would never work.

My instincts were telling me that it was not my grandfather. Besides, the person responsible for my rebirth had to have some kind of power over death or souls as the situation with my death had shown. Kronos had no such thing.

There was, however, someone else who did. The original Chronos or 'Father Time' as he was often called was associated with the mysteries of afterlife. Chronos, eternal time, and his counterpart Ananke also know as inevitability.

It felt like a much better fit than the titan Kronos. But how could I be sure?

I was startled out of my inner musings when Dag pulled me to a halt in front of another cabin. I frowned and looked up in curiosity examining it carefully. As first impressions went, it wasn't a favorable one. The cabin looked old and worn down, but so far it had been the only cabin that gave me a true cabin feeling. All the other cabins looked like they were owned by a bunch of eccentric rich people with little taste and too much money on their hands. I studied it carefully, noting the wear and tear and the used feeling it gave off.

"Here we are cabin eleven; the Hermes cabin," Dag said, pointing at the caduceus hanging above the door. "You and Percy will be staying here for the foreseeable future."

He turned towards me and gave me a comforting look. "I know it doesn't look like much compared to the other cabins but I'm sure you won't be staying here long. Your father will see what a great person you are and claim you," I thought I heard him mutter 'whenever he gets around pulling his head out of his ass', but I wasn't actually sure.

"Whatever," I said, shrugging casually. "I'm not really worried. Knowing my brother he'll probably do something stupidly heroic, or just stupid really, attracting our father's attention."

I honestly couldn't care less. It wasn't like I particularly wanted to be publicly claimed. I knew without a doubt that my dad loved us and I didn't need a holographic trident to appear above my head as proof. It would only paint a target on our heads, as far as I was concerned.

"Your brother, yeah," Dag nodded dubiously, "I'm sure he's great," he said with the honesty of someone giving assurances that the newborn baby - which incidentally looked very much like a decomposed gremlin - was the most beautiful creature on the planet. I couldn't help but give him a curious look, wondering what my brother could possibly have done to inspire such 'trust' from my friend. I was pretty sure they never met since my brother was still drooling away in the infirmary.

"Percy is good at those kind of things," I sent Dag a playful grin, "Making me look good, I mean."

"I believe that," he nodded readily. "So, do you want to go inside? I don't know who's going to be here, since I'm pretty sure they're all supposed to be at their monster assault techniques class, but there's always one miscreant that just doesn't learn..." he trailed off ominously. "Probably Travis and Connor."

"Learn what?" I frowned confusedly.

He sent me a wide shark-like smile. "You don't skip class at CHB, Rhea-darling, you just don't. And those that do..." he laughed like an honest to god comic villain. "Well."

"Okaaaay," I said, slowly backing away from the crazy person. "Wait, Travis and Connor? Weren't those the guys you told me about; the ones who were punished by Mr. D for playing pranks?"

"Yes, that would be them. It would be smart of you to keep that story in mind when dealing with the kids from this particular cabin. They come by their mischievous ways honestly."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I sighed softly. That was all I needed; getting pranked by Rick Riordan's answer to the Weasley twins.

"Anyway," Dag smiled cheerfully, "Let's go inside."

I shrugged casually. "Sure." I had to see what my new home, no matter how temporarily, looked like. I liked the thought of not having much of an audience to do so. Knowing the huge dork that I was I'd probably embarrass myself even worse than book Percy did during his first visit to cabin eleven.

The inside of the cabin didn't look any better than the outside, in fact, it looked worse. I walked further inside curious to see more. It certainly looked lived in and very crowded if all the sleeping bags on the floor were any indication.

"Why are there sleeping bags on the floor?" I questioned, already knowing I wasn't going to like the answer.

"Oh, those are for the unclaimed kids. Hermes' kids get the beds and the rest sleep on the floor, unless there are beds available, then it goes by seniority. First the kids who were claimed but whose parent doesn't have a cabin, than the unclaimed kids. The longer an unclaimed kid has been here the more chance they have at sleeping in a bed," Dag explained.

"You people let children sleep on the floor?" I demanded incredulously. "What the hell kind of camp are you running here? You do realize that we live in America, right? The land of the free, home of the brave, the country where children don't sleep on floors?"

"They do in Camp Half-blood," someone said from behind me. I turned to see a girl casually leaning against the door post of the entrance. I estimated her around my age or slightly older, with black hair and dark eyes. She seemed casual and at ease but I could see her studying me carefully, eyes cataloging everything about me, automatically committing it to memory.

I frowned at her, "Don't they know it's bad to sleep on the floor? You can develop all kinds of back problems and-,"

"-Don't really think they care," the girl interrupted with a grim kind of amusement. "We don't usually live long enough to develop those kind of issues, so why would they?"

What the fuck? Last time I checked we were living in America, not Sparta. I didn't know why exactly since I already had some idea about how children of minor gods and the unclaimed were treated, but this honestly pissed me off. Just because one of our parents was too busy to take responsibility, or because he or she wasn't a part of the Olympian council we would be forced to sleep on the floor. Dogs were treated better than this, let alone children.

"That is so fucking wrong, that I can't even find the words," was all I could utter in that moment. I actually had a lot more to say, and if this was any indication of how unclaimed kids were treated here, I was definitely beginning to understand why throwing their lot in with an evil Titan might have seemed like a good idea. They were simply getting tired of being told to sit in the back of the bus.

"Welcome to Camp Half-blood," she smiled humorlessly. "With a little luck your godly parent will claim you soon, and from what I've been hearing around camp, they'll probably be an Olympian so you won't have to deal with this," she gestured at the sleeping bags decorating the floor.

"Oh, well, I guess that makes everything right as rain, then," I drawled sarcastically. "Besides, how would you know if my dad is an Olympian?"

She cocked her head slightly to the side and narrowed her eyes. "You slayed the Minotaur without having any previous training, right? I doubt you're fathered by a minor god," she explained casually.

"My brother killed him," I corrected.

"Mmmh," she hummed mildly, eyes sharp and scrutinizing. "If you say so..."

"I do say so." why did no one believe me? "Who are you anyway?" I turned to Dagwood who had remained uncharacteristically silent. "Who is she?" I asked my friend.

"Layla Hathaway," Dag said softly. I didn't now why exactly but I had a feeling Dag was being cautious. "Daughter of Nyx, goddess of night."

Well Then. Not a canon character, at least, as far as I could tell. Wait, wasn't Nyx that scary, but kinda dumb as a post, chick that lived in Tartarus? As far as I remembered Percy and Annabeth had bumped into her during their 'tour' of the deepest pits of the underworld and basically talked and subsequently tricked their way out of danger.

"Well met, daughter of Nyx," I greeted, making Dag choke on his own spit.

"Oh for crying out loud, Rhea!" he yelled giving me an irritated look. "Sorry about that," he told the daughter of Nyx as she looked at me with raised brows. "She watches too much television, it has clearly had an adverse effect on her brain."

"What?" I asked defensively. "It's a perfectly valid way to greet someone."

"Maybe if your're a character from Lord of the Rings," Dag retorted with exasperation. "For normal people a simple 'hello' would do."

I snorted amusedly. "What could possibly have given you the idea that I'm normal?"

"You know what, never mind," Dag sighed. "Layla, this is my best friend Rhea. Please ignore most of what she says; she was diagnosed a as weirdo."

"No I wasn't!" I objected incredulously.

"Well if you weren't, then you really should have been,'' he retorted adamantly.

"I'm not weird," at Dag's hard stare I shrugged and amended, "Most of the time. Besides, there's nothing wrong with being different."

"It is if you use that statement as a motto and strive to be as weird as you possibly can be."

"Like you're the one to lecture me on being a different, Mighty Goat," I muttered sullenly. "Anyway, it really is nice to meet you, ignore us, we're always like this," I told the girl whose brows were slowly raising higher the longer our exchange went on. I couldn't really blame her, the team of Dagwood and Jackson was an acquired taste.

She frowned for a second, eyeing both Dag and I thoughtfully, before a small smile curled her lips upwards. "Nice to meet you too. Rhea, right?" she walked towards us and offered her hand in greeting.

"Yeah," I shook her hand, "Rhea Jackson and you obviously know Dag."

"Dag?" she questioned, tilting her head slightly to the side in a curious manner.

"That would be me," Dag supplied helpfully. "Apparently Silas is a stupid name and Dagwood is too long for her to bother with most of the time," he sighed exasperatedly.

"I didn't say it was a stupid name, I said it didn't suit you," I objected good-naturedly.

"It means forest," Dag explained slowly, as if I was an idiot, "I am a satyr, of course it suits me."

Our disagreement was interrupted by a soft chuckle, making Dag look at the girl, Layla, as if she just grew a second head that was in the process of trying to eat the original one.

"I like it," Layla said, still smiling. "Dag, it suits you." Dag looked even more shocked after her words.

"Thanks," I grinned. She seemed like a nice girl. I was lucky that all the people I had met so far seemed really pleasant. Except for the she-male, but I was trying to block encountering 'it' from my mind. Also, I would be pissy too, if someone asked me if I was secretly male. And Dionysus, but he was a recovering alcoholic that clearly didn't want to be sober. The fact that he was a god might also have something to do with his assholish behavior.

"You two have a strange relationship," she said matter-of-factly, eyes still analyzing our moves and body language.

"How so?" I took it upon myself to ask, since Dag seemed to be doing an imitation of a flabbergasted statue right next to me.

"You're really good friends," she answered slowly, as if she was just figuring this out. It should have been obvious, really; Dag introduced me as his best friend.

"Of course we are," I agreed, with a small fond grin aimed at Dag, "The best."

"Huh," she seemed surprised somehow. "Well nothing wrong with it of course, but very different."

"Different is my middle name," I joked, ignoring Dag's, who was apparently done with being a statue, small mutter of 'No it's not, your middle name is weirdo.' I still wasn't sure what she was getting at, though, or why she seemed surprised by whatever it was she was talking about.

"Other demigods aren't usually as close to their protectors as you are to me, Rhea," Dag explained kindly, giving me a warm, fond smile. Well that couldn't be right. What about Percy and Grover? Sure, it hadn't happened yet, but I had never read anything about people finding their friendship strange. Then again, Percy could be oblivious during the best of times, knowing my brother it could be highly possible that he just hadn't noticed.

"Why not?" I questioned, honestly curious. Who wouldn't want to be friends with Dag, he was great?

"I don't know," Dag shrugged, "I have never really thought about it before. It's just one of those things."

"But you seem to be friends with that Will dude, so it can't be that weird," I offered, still feeling a little confused with the strange turn of events.

"That's different," Layla said. "Will Solace is one of the medics, they make it their business to know and be friendly to everyone."

For some reason that answer didn't sit well with me. "Their loss," I simply said, trying to shrug off the feeling of wrongness. "Silas Dagwood is the most awesome friend ever and if they don't see it, well, more for me, I guess," I declared, making Dag snort in surprised amusement.

"Yeah," he smiled widely, eyes shining with warmth, "I guess so."

"Damn right," I nodded decisively, wearing a wide grin before turning to the slightly smiling daughter of Nyx. "So, Layla, I take it you're a member of the eleventh?" I asked, grin slightly dimming when her barely-there smile disappeared at my question.

"Yes. That would be my sleeping bag, right over there," she pointed at a purple sleeping bag on the floor next to the wall without a window.

"So you have to stay here because your mom doesn't have a cabin of her own? Wouldn't it be better to just build a cabin for your mom, or if that's not allowed, to build an extra cabin for all the unclaimed kids and the children of minor gods?"

"No it wouldn't be better," she hisses through clenched teeth. "Because that would actually be logical and make sense."

"It just isn't done, Rhea," Dag sighed, looking a lot older all of a sudden. That reminded me of the fact that I didn't know his actual age. I'd have to remember to ask him later.

"Why?" I was fully aware that I sounded like a seven year old constantly asking 'why' but I couldn't help it. Not only was it stupid and would it cause a lot of children to turn their backs on Camp Half-Blood and join up with Kronos, it could also turn out to be physically and mentally unhealthy.

"It just isn't," Layla sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "The Olympians make the rules here. Well, if they actually care enough to make any, I suppose," she said with a distinct edge of bitterness.

"That is just beyond stupid." I could hear the thunder rumbling loudly in the sky even from inside the cabin, making Dag wince.

"Okay, that's enough of that, keep your mouth shut unless you actually want to eat lightning," Dag said hurriedly, giving a quick apologetic look to the ceiling. And he had the audacity to call me weird.

"I just call 'em like I see 'em, my friend." I frowned, "Someone should really get some kind of inspector from CPS in here; I'm pretty sure this is illegal."

Layla snorted, "There's no use. They'd only use the mist to make them forget again."

"Now that would definitely be illegal."

"Forgot about the legalities, Rhea. Things are different here. This isn't the mortal world and those rules down't apply here," Layla explained with an air of frustration. "You should really keep that in mind before your ignorance gets you in trouble."

"I think it's common fucking decency not to let a child sleep on the floor. Whatever rules apply or don't apply here, there's still right and wrong," I argued.

"Hey, preaching to the choir here," Layla said, making me deflate. The thunder outside rumbled threateningly. I really needed to curb my new habit of standing on soap boxes before I got my dumbass self killed. Change would come, whether they wanted it or not, my brother would make sure of it. And my drive to help him make those changes just got a whole lot stronger.

"You're interesting," Layla stated, staring at me contemplatively.

"I do try," I drawled as dry as a dessert.

"Like a breath of fresh air," she continued carefully, ignoring my words as her eyes took on a distant quality, seemingly looking right through me. "It'll be interesting to see what choices you'll make," okay starting to look and sound kind of creepy now. "What your presence here will change for the better... Or worse." I swallowed nervously, she was sounding a lot creepy now.

"Yeah, definitely," Dag interrupted, capturing Layla's attention. I was going to have to thank him for his sacrifice later. "But since she just arrived at CHB I'll just show her around first before she goes around making all those changes." he turned to me giving me a small strained smile, "As you have seen this is cabin eleven, let's go visit the twelfth."

"Yes, I definitely want to see the twelfth, it's the whole reason I wanted this tour," my smile was just as strained as Dag's. Whose cabin was the twelfth anyway? I couldn't seem to remember.

"You really want to see Dionysus' cabin that bad?" She asked skeptically.

Dionysus? Oh right. "Yes," I smiled brightly, lying through my teeth, at least Will wasn't here to call me out on it. "He made quite the impression." and it wasn't a complete lie, he did make an impression. Whether it was a favorable one was another thing all together.

"Anyway, it was nice talking to you, places to go, cabins to see and all that," Dag said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door.

"I'm sure I'll see you later," I told the girl, as Dag pulled me passed her and out of the cabin.

Layla didn't say anything in reply, she just smiled, her eyes holding a knowing quality that only creeped me out more.

"What the hell was that?" I demanded from Dag the second we were out of hearing distance.

"That was Layla Hathaway, daughter of Nyx," he said as if that explained everything. It really didn't.

"Why did she get so weird all of a sudden?"

"She's always like that," he dismissed offhandedly. "No, the weird part was how normal was talking to you in the beginning. She actually laughed," he said voice filled with incredulous awe. "I didn't think that was possible. Like, physically possible."

I snorted, "She seemed nice, even if she did get a little strange at the end."

"She isn't, not usually anyway," Dag answered carefully. "Most people stay away from her because of her mother, but she doesn't really seem to care. She has no friends, as far as I know."

"Maybe we can be her friends," I offered casually.

"I don't know, Rhea," Dag frowned skeptically. "She's really weird."

I snorted, "I'm really weird, and so are you."

"Speak for yourself," Dag grinned. "And Layla's a different kind of weird, the creepy kind. She's also a bit of a bitch."

"So are you, it doesn't stop me from hanging out with you," I quipped.

"I think you mean that the other way around," he scoffed. "So cabin twelve?"

"Cabin twelve," I agreed as we made our way to Dionysus' cabin. The moment we reached the twelfth cabin we looked at each other and simultaneously started laughing.

"I can't believe you used wanting to see this cabin as your excuse to leave. 'He made quite the impression'," he mocked in a high pitched voice, trying, but failing, to imitate me. "I can't believe you actually managed to say that with a straight face," he howled with laughter.

"Whatever. I just wanted to get the hell out of there. I would've said pretty much anything." I frowned thoughtfully, "I'm pretty sure she was like a couple of sentences away from dubbing me the chosen one."

"Stop exaggerating," he chuckled with exasperation. "Layla can be creepy, true, but she wasn't that bad. You haven't even met the Oracle yet. Trust me, one meeting with her will put everything back in perspective."

"So this Oracle chick is even more creepy? Who is she and how do I avoid her?"

"You don't. If you're meant to meet her you will," Dag explained in a way that explained absolutely nothing.

"Fine, but if she starts spouting some long lost prophesy about 'bringing balance to the force', I'm not gonna be a happy camper... Literally. As far as I'm concerned Anakin Skywalker can keep his title. So can Buffy, for that matter... And Neo... and Harry Potter," and Percy, even though he wasn't the Hero in the end. "You know, there are an awfully lot of chosen ones in fiction."

"Eh, it's easier to put the responsibility on the shoulders of one person and tell them to fix it because they were chosen by destiny than it is to get off your lazy ass and do something about the bad guys pissing on your lawn, I guess," Dag theorized. "Makes it entertaining to witness them mess it all up, only to watch them triumph in the end because of some obscure rule that no one ever heard about, or a technicality of some kind."

I gave Dag a wide-eyed look filled with shock.

"What?" he demanded.

"That sounded like something I would say, only with a lot more swearing."

He froze, eyes glazing over as he went over his words, mouthing some of them as he retraced his verbal steps. "That does it," he said suddenly. "Now I'm actually starting to sound like you. Clearly we've been spending way too much time together."

"Very true," I grinned.

"Do you still want me to take you to someplace where you can do some heavy thinking?"

Like I wanted to breathe. "Oh, yes, please. I have a lot to think about."

"Let's go then," he turned to give me a measuring look," Daughter of Triton, huh? In that case, I know exactly where to go."

"I doubt it, Dag. I'm pretty sure I know who my dad is and it's not Triton."

"Who do you think it is?" Dag asked eagerly as he led my away from the twelve cabins.

I gave a contemplative look to the sky, silently weighing my options before sighing deeply. "He hasn't claimed us for a good reason, I think. For now it would probably be wiser to keep my mouth shut. Some people are rude enough to eaves drop on a private conversation," I told the sky almost in a challenging way. "Point proven," I muttered softly when the sky rumbled almost in offence. That, once again, answered my suspicions about the gods watching us as if we were reenacting an episode of Days of Our Lives.

"Oh," Dag said, giving the rumbling sky a suspicious look. "In that case you probably should keep your mouth shut."

"My thinking exactly, my friend," I retorted, feeling beyond exhausted.

To my surprise Dagwood led me to the beach, causing me to once again thank the gods for sending a friend my way that knew exactly what I needed, especially when I didn't.

"No one usually comes here this time of day so it'll be a quiet place for you to thoroughly freak out and subsequently get your head back in the game. Unfortunately," he sent the sky a wry smile, "I can't do anything about them so you probably shouldn't take your close off and run around the beach naked," he grinned. "Just a friendly suggestion," he added when he saw my unimpressed look.

"Thanks, Dag. Really," I told me friend sincerely.

"Anytime, Rhea. Good luck," he added before turning around and walking away.

I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly as I tried to ignore the feeling of dread that had been slowly gathering in the pit of my stomach from the moment I had stepped foot into Camp Half-Blood. I was truly alone for the first time since this entire fucked up ordeal started and I had never been so scared in my life. I clenched my jaw shut tightly and swallowed the hysterical laugh bubbling in my throat. I was pretty sure if I started I would never stop and I had no intention of becoming this world's version of the Joker quite yet; things we'rent exactly that bad.

'Well, not yet anyway.'

I swallowed another hysterical giggle at that thought, but it also sobered me up in a way like nothing could. This was only the beginning. If I lost it this early on, I would be better off packing my bags and moving to Alaska for a couple of years. So would Percy. I refused to be a liability to my brother, especially since what I wanted more than anything was to make things better for him.

I turned around to glance longingly at Dag's retreating back and took a deep breath before exhaling loudly. Throughout this entire mess I kept hoping and longing for a short reprieve from the wild ride my life had become. Now that I finally had that movement of silence, a chance to take a deep breath and let go, to think things through and devise a strategy that wasn't going to get me and my brother killed, I wanted nothing more than to run in the other direction. I didn't want to be alone and it took everything in me not to turn around and run after Dag; to beg him not to leave me alone with my thoughts.

I took a deep shuddering breath and scraped every inch of willpower I could find together and focused on standing still. There was no use in embarrassing myself by becoming an emotional mess clinging to her best friend crying about wanting my mommy. I was a adult; the fact that I looked like a flat-chested fourteen year old girl did not mean I had to behave like one. Not anymore than I already had, at least.

I took a step forward, my foot sinking into the sand. I frowned as I looked down at my chucks. Clad in my favorite sneakers, jeans and my brother's favorite Team Kakashi hoody, I wasn't exactly equipped for a day at the beach. I sighed as I leaned down to take of my chucks and socks and rolled up the hems of my jeans. I left on the hoody though. I didn't need it because the sun was shining nicely and the wind felt like a warm spring breeze, but it was Percy's and wearing it brought me comfort. Besides, it had a picture of Hatake Kakashi on it; not wearing it would be blasphemy.

I put my socks inside my shoes and almost left them behind before I reconsidered. 'Children of Hermes, Rhea' I reminded myself. I picked up my shoes and made my way towards the shoreline. The smell and sound of the Atlantic Ocean called to me and sent me the feeling of comfort. It felt like coming home after a long and tiring day to the smell of mom cooking my favorite meal.

'I want my mom,' I couldn't help but think longingly.

I sat down on the beach and buried my bare feet in the soft grains of warm sand looking at the beautiful blue, welcoming ocean. "Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations," I sighed wryly. Maybe if I said it often enough I'd start believing it.

I shifted my leg and grabbed some sand watching mesmerized as it flowed trough my fingers.

"Now is as good a time as any, I suppose," I murmured almost silently. I took a deep breath and took the next step on my path as Rhea Jackson.

"Chronos," I whispered to the wind, eyes still focused on the sand slipping through my fingers.

"To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wildflower to hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour," a voice quoted from beside me, making me freeze like a deer caught in headlights.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Temul read this chapter, gave me her honest opinion, and then made it so much better. I dedicate this to her unwavering patience with the mess that is me.
> 
> AN: You guys are awesome; I wouldn't trade you for the world.
> 
> Answer: I'm anticipating going off the rails. So far, there have been some changes but we're still pretty much sailing the canon seas. I plan on taking this ship into unfamiliar waters soon. Do keep in mind that The Lightening Thief follows Percy Jackson. This story follows Rhea Jackson.
> 
> Question: How do you feel about Silas Dagwood?


	11. Drowning on Dry Land

Even though I had summoned him, and knew without a doubt that he would answer if I called the right name, his sudden appearance by my side startled the hell out of me. It had something to do with knowing, without a single doubt, that I was alone on this part of the beach, and then suddenly I wasn't.

Although I had been fairly certain about his identity, I had still harbored some lingering doubts, doubts that disappeared the second he answered my call.

"So," I whispered softly, voice filled with a strange sort of hesitation, and body completely frozen. "You're Time."

I was vividly aware of his presence beside me, but my eyes never wavered from the new batch of sand I had scooped up; watching it slide through my fingers like water.

"Yes," he confirmed gravely. "I am Time and time is me. I am eternal. I was there before the beginning, and will be there long after the end. I am everything... everywhere."

Unlike just about every other time I had spoken to him, he sounded solemn. I could feel his arm brush against mine as if he was just a regular person; as if I was sitting next to my brother or my best friend, watching the horizon.

He wasn't a regular person, though, he was... I closed my eyes and my heart lodged in my throat as my mind was flooded with images of stars going supernova. I witnessed the formation of galaxies and their subsequent destruction. I experienced the life and death of a fire ant, and watched the rise and fall of empires. For a small infinite moment in time I understood, unequivocally, the essence of time and how it encompassed all.

Then I blinked, and it was gone.

I panted harshly as if I had just finished a ten mile run. I felt feverish and achy, like I was finally starting to recover from a ten day flu. Swallowing heavily, I turned to look at him, half afraid of what I would find. It brought me no comfort to find myself sitting beside the being wearing the familiar face of my history teacher. His eyes were cold and calculating and his face looked as if it was carved from marble for all the expression it showed. It felt like I was meeting a hungry lion on a deserted road somewhere and all I could do was hope and pray that he wasn't going to swallow me whole.

Suddenly his features softened and became animated. "Rhea, don't be afraid," he whispered softly. The wind blew playfully trough his blond locks, giving him an almost human quality.

I tried to suppress a hysterical giggle, but it still escaped my lips. "I'm not afraid," I lied.

"You have nothing to fear from me," he said so earnestly that I couldn't do anything but believe him. But then he ruined it by giving me a cocky smirk. "I've told you often enough, as long as I'm not bored, you'll be fine."

This was more familiar territory, so I took a deep breath, pulled myself together and gave him an annoyed look. "How gracious of you," I said, voice filled with sarcasm.

"Gracious..." he said slowly as if tasting the word. His smirk turned playful and full of knowing, like he held a secret I wasn't privy to. "Yes, that's just the kind of guy I am."

"Why?" I asked softly, valiantly trying to ignore the playful smile and the strange forbidding feeling it caused in my stomach.

"Why what?" he turned from me and looked at the horizon, giving the illusion of a normal man enjoying a nice day at the beach.

I had so many questions that I didn't even know which 'why' to begin with. The small glimpse I caught of his true self was frightening but then he sat next to me looking at me all earnest and trustworthy, asking me not to fear him. Silently asking me to put my trust in him, to believe in someone so terrifying.

To have the attention of a being like him...

I could only ask what I did to deserve it. The worst thing was that I wasn't sure if I was asking this question in a negative or positive way.

I hummed the melody of an old Eagles song in my mind: 'This could be Heaven or this could be Hell'

Maybe it was both?

"Why this? Why me? Why—" I stammered, not sure what to ask. "Anything. Everything! I don't even know where to start or where to end."

I was so scared and confused. I wanted to believe that I could trust him so badly. But I couldn't take the risk... Could I? He did save my life and give me a new one. He gave me Percy and mom, he gave me dad and Dagwood, he gave me a second chance... But why, and at what price?

"Truthfully, Rhea," he sighed, "being all-powerful and immortal gets boring after existing for so long. There's no excitement anymore, no change. Especially not with my power. Time is my domain and everything it touches belongs to me. I know all that has been, I know all that is, and all that will be. There's no mystery. By inserting you in this... story, I'll finally get some measure of excitement." He turned to give me an assessing look. "That is, if you don't mess up, at least."

"No pressure," I muttered darkly.

"Please," he huffed, rolling his eyes. "Out of all the people that ever lived in any time, dimension or universe, I chose you. Now what do you think that means?"

"That you're an idiot?" I offered, making him snort in amusement.

"For all my power, I can't interfere in the mortal world, not the way I want to." His lips curled up into a small smirk. "Well, I could, but it wouldn't end well. I can, however, interfere with you, and you, in turn, can interfere with anything that suits my fancy. Do you understand what that means, Princess?" he demanded.

My sea green eyes were glued to his face. "That there will be a whole lot of interfering going on?" I guessed. My lips twitched upwards when he released a startled chuckle.

I exhaled loudly, shaking my head. "I don't know what possessed you to choose me, of all people. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that you did. I'm happy for the new chance at life, but I don't think I'm the the kind of person you're looking for. Before I died, I used to fantasize about situations like this, being reborn in another universe, or accidentally stumbling into it. I used to read stories and criticize the heroes and complain that I wouldn't be as stupid; that I would do things differently. Better. But now that it's happened to me, all I can do is be afraid. I can't do this. I'm not a hero."

I looked into his blue eyes, trying to make him understand. "I-if there's a choice between sacrificing my life or saving the world... Well I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the world will pretty much be fucked."

"What about a choice between your life and that of your brother's, what will you do then?" he asked, with the quality of someone who already knew that answer.

"That's different," I defended. "Percy is my brother."

He shook his head with a small exasperated laugh. He turned to look at me as his laugh tapered off into a soft smile, that for once didn't seem creepy, but almost fond.

"I know who you are. I know your every thought, every feeling. I know how scared you are and I don't have one single doubt about choosing you. I don't need you to be a hero, Rhea Jackson, I simply need you to be you. You're my Champion, Rhea. You are meant to carry out my will. Gods often use their own offspring to do their bidding, but I will have you."

He paused before swallowing heavily and taking a deep breath. The action made him appear nervous, and I wondered what could possibly be having that effect on him. "Will you accept your position as my Herald, Rhea Jackson? Will you fight and kill in my name? Will you make my voice be heard?" he asked softly, but fiercely.

If he had asked me an hour ago, or hell, even a couple of minutes ago, my answer would have been a resounding 'hell no'. Now, though, I had a sudden and inexplicable urge to say yes, to accept everything he offered, embrace it even. In his eyes I could see the shadow of a future filled with exciting adventures, life, death and everything in between. It was a life filled with hardship, loss and trials, yes, but also with happiness, friendship and love. And him, always there as if he was hovering over my shoulder, always watching, experiencing life through me—

I shook off the strong urge to jump at the offer and took a deep shuddering breath. I wasn't sure what to do or what to say. I felt like I was standing in front of a precipice and if I moved only a little I would fall. The trouble was that I didn't know if falling would be a bad thing.

'When in doubt, stall,' Percy's voice sounded trough my mind. "Do I have a choice?" I asked, already knowing the answer he would give me.

"Not really, no," he replied blithely. "But sometimes I like to pretend. It gives people comfort and the illusion that I'm a reasonable man instead of a tyrannical bastard."

"I have no such illusions," I retorted smartly.

"Oh good," he replied cheerfully. "That means we can do away with all pretenses, then."

"Why not one of your own children? Why choose me?"

He slid his hand through his blond locks, giving me a lazy shrug. "I haven't had a child in eons." He gave me a pointed sideways look. "That, too, has become predictable and boring. Honestly," he sighed in exasperation as he rolled his eyes, "there's only so many times that you can take your children becoming little shits that try to overthrow you before you decide to use prophylactics."

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yes," he shrugged, trying to look casual but coming off as sheepish. "My genes usually don't translate well. They all turn into little bastards one way or the other. And the good ones," suddenly he seemed...old, maybe, or just done. "Well, the good ones always die young, don't they?" he said softly, giving me a hollow smile.

"So, what do I call you?" I asked, trying to distract him from his thoughts. It was unsettling how empty he suddenly looked, like the light was on but no one was home. "Do you go by Chronos?" I asked dubiously. "Because that could become really confusing. Also imagine my dad, or worse, Zeus' face when I tell them I'm Chronos' Champion." I whistled lowly. "I'm thinking instant lightning bolt to the face, what about you?"

He snorted loudly at the very likely scenario. "Yes, that does seem to be his response to anything that rubs him the wrong way. That boy has absolutely no sense of originality. Or self-control," he added as an afterthought.

"Well, It'll be a cold day in hell before I rub him the right way," I retorted dryly.

"Seducing Zeus?" he mused thoughtfully, as if the thought had never occurred to him. The somewhat intrigued look on his face made me wish I had never brought it up. "That doesn't seem very difficult. It could be somewhat amusing, I suppose."

"Not if I'm the one that has to do the seducing," I snapped. "The dude is my dad's brother, so it's not happening. Ever. Pick a different name I can call you by; I'm not dying because my uncle is a cranky bastard that jumps to conclusions far too easily." I looked up at the sky with a confused frown when it remained suspiciously clear. Not a cloud in the sky. How strange.

"They can't hear us," he offered after a small glance at the sky. "As if I would allow those nosy brats to listen in on my business."

"You can do that?" I asked, surprise coloring my voice.

"I can do anything, sweetheart," he boasted smugly.

Good, that was a relief. I'd briefly forgotten about anything but him and spoken freely. It was a relief to know that if they were eavesdropping: they hadn't learned any of my deepest and darkest secrets.

"If you can do anything, then why do you need me?" I drawled dryly, raising my brows. "So, name?" I asked when he sent me an irritated scowl. I so did not want to piss this dude off. I actually enjoyed living.

"I have many," he shrugged. "Humans have worshiped me since the dawn of time. They had many different names for me. Aeon will suffice, for now, I suppose." He sighed. "I take it that you've accepted your position?" he asked, semi-casual.

"I don't know. Have you been completely truthful with me?"

"Of course not." He laughed with an air of incredulity. At my angry glare he stopped laughing and sighed in exasperation. "I won't tell you everything, where's the fun in that? But, what I do tell will be nothing but the truth," he amended grudgingly. "Is that good enough for you?"

"It'll do, for now," I answered tightly. I honestly had no idea what the hell I was doing and could only hope this wouldn't come back to bite me or Percy in the ass. "Agreeing to this won't make me your slave, right? I mean I'll still be able to do what I want, whenever I want?"

"Of course," he scoffed. "I'm asking you to become my Champion, not my Renfield," he muttered with irritation. "I am worshiped far and wide, all over creation. Any demigod would jump at a chance like this. Your hesitation is insulting."

Oh my fucking gods. He was actually pouting. I might have found it cute if I wasn't too busy gaping at him like a moron.

"I'm just being careful by making sure we're both aware of some things," I said conciliatory, trying but failing to forget the image of a being of unimaginable power pouting like a six-year old. "For instance, the fact that humans may have worshiped you since the dawn of time, but that there will be none of that from my end. Unless, you know, it's in your dreams."

He gave me a sly smile. "Now where would the fun be in that? I don't want your worship or obedience. Just be yourself and do whatever you want. All I ask is that you entertain me while you're doing it."

"Whatever." I sighed at the weirdo's general... weirdness.

"Are we done?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow. "Have you made your final decision?"

"No. One last question," I replied slowly, trying to think up a way of asking without dying a painful death. "So..." I drawled mock-cheerfully, "No offence or anything, but I have to ask this. You're not secretly Kronos trying to con me into helping him take over the world or something, right?"

"What?!" he demanded, clearly offended by my question. "No! In that little shit's dreams," he grumbled.

"I know a couple of things about Chronos or Aeon, or whatever you want me to call you. You're the personification of time. Some believe you were the first being that came into existence, some don't. What most agree on, though, is that Kronos was often mistaken for you. I'm just trying to make sure he's not an incarnation of you, or something."

"Oh, please," Aeon scoffed. "He wishes! That pointy bearded little upstart can't hold a candle to me. You know what that little shit is? I'll tell you; he's basically a VCR. He can rewind, he can fast forward, he can press pause, and even that he can't do right. You know those shitty VCR players that can only hold pause for a little while before they automatically start to play again? Well he is basically one of those. The most pathetic thing of all is that he can only affect a couple of people, animals, or whatever, at a time."

"But, I mean, that's still pretty powerful, right? Isn't he supposed to be the titan of time, or Father Time as he was called?"

"Another title he stole from me," he muttered darkly before giving me an irritated look. "Also, he's nothing compared to me. It's like someone going up to Prince Zuko of the fire nation with a box of matches, lighting a match the... well, muggle way, and then claiming they're the best fire bender in the world. Basically it's a bunch of delusional bullshit."

"Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation?" I asked incredulously, raising my brow in disbelief.

"I like him. I think he's scrappy," he shrugged, seemingly unapologetic but I thought I could detect a little embarrassment in his features. "Besides, once he stopped yelling about his honor every five minutes he became pretty cool. "

"How old are you again?" I deadpanned.

"Shut up," he snapped without any actual heat. "Getting back to the point I was trying to make; I rock while Kronos sucks."

"...No seriously, how old?"

I ignored his glare while I studied him carefully. I didn't think there would ever come a time where I would understand this being sitting next to me. At times he gave off this air like he was older than dirt, tired to the core of his very being, and so very bored. And at other times he seemed as if he was my age, both physical and mental. I didn't understand him and I was slowly starting to accept that I probably never would.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," he said, sounding surprisingly a lot less condescending than he could have. "I'm currently beyond your ability of comprehension."

"Will you ever stop reading my mind?" I huffed with annoyance.

"No," he denied readily. "Will you ever answer my question?"

This was it, now or never. I had no idea what to answer, though. A big part of me was screaming to run the other way, but the other part told me to shove my common sense in the deepest pits of Mordor and take a chance. What to do, what to do...?

Time was running out.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and let my heart speak. "Yes," I said suddenly. It was mostly instinct guiding my answer, and I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing, but I truly felt like this was my best option.

He was beyond powerful, he knew my secrets, and he had at least some interest in my continued existence. It was more than I could say for any other god other than my dad.

"Yes, what?" He wasn't asking. He already knew what I meant, but he clearly wanted to hear me say it.

I felt this inexplicable need to voice my agreement so that there wouldn't be any doubt.

"I'll be your Champion... Your... Herald," I added, saying the word slowly, as if tasting it on my tongue. I liked it more than Champion, it fit better somehow.

For a moment his eyes lit up with so much happiness that they seemed even more blue than usual and he smiled at me all soft and humble like. I felt a soft warm glow settle in my stomach and it only strengthened the feeling that I had made the right decision. Then suddenly it was like he flipped a switch and all emotion vanished from his features. He looked like a marble statue, the pretty kind, sure, but also cold and unyielding.

He stood up so smoothly that I couldn't help the flash of envy. I had been taking ballet classes for over six years but I'd be hard pressed to mimic the graceful movement.

"Kneel before me, Rhea Jackson," he demanded in such an stern voice that I could do nothing but agree. This was the Primordial speaking, and it felt completely separate from the being I had been dealing with before. There was no room for banter or objections here. Where he seemed at least somewhat approachable before, he seemed cold and closed off now.

I shifted my body in the sand until I was on my knees before him. My eyes were glued to his, unable to look away. It was as if he looked right through me, straight to the very core of my being. It frightened me, but not because it felt like he was about to hurt me. The scary feeling came from being under the scrutiny of a being of infinite power.

"I am grateful for your service, Rhea Jackson," he inclined his head slowly, never breaking eye contact. He took my left hand in his and twisted it slightly so that my palm was facing upwards. He tugged on the sleeve of my hoody and carefully started to fold it up, not stopping until he reached my upper arm, just above my elbow. His hand returned to mine and he gave it a small reassuring squeeze before taking a deep breath.

"I now claim you as my own," he declared, still not breaking eye contact. I was a little confused but I had a feeling whatever he was doing wasn't finished yet, so I stayed silent and tried my hardest not to move.

Aeon took a slow deep breath that, startlingly enough, seemed to make his eyes glow a fiery orange colour, before slowly exhaling a bright hot stream of fire. My eyes widened in shock and I instinctively tried to back away from the fire. I tried to tug my hand out of his, planning on beating a hasty retreat but he held my hand in a tight grip. The stream of fire slowly turned into a bird made out of flames. It hovered in the air between us for a couple of seconds before it pretty much flew at me, literally disappearing into my arm.

I felt a sudden burst of pain coming from the inside of my forearm, as if someone threw a pot of boiling water onto it, and screamed. It felt like my fucking arm was on fire. My right hand reflexively came up to extinguish a flame that I couldn't see, but could definitely feel. It hurt so fucking much, I couldn't stop screaming. I needed cold water. I tried to rip my arm from his grip so I could run to the ocean where I knew my dad could help me, but he wouldn't let go.

"Breathe, Rhea, just breathe," he murmured softly.

"Stop it, it hurts!" I screamed. "Please, let me go!"

"I know," he crooned comfortingly. "I know. It will be over soon, I promise."

The fire spread out from my left arm and slowly started to envelop my entire body. I had never actually experienced being burned by hellfire before, but I was certain that it would feel a lot less painful than whatever the fuck this was. Every inch of my body hurt, but it was nothing compared to the pain I felt in my arm.

I kept screaming until my voice was hoarse and struggling until I tired myself out. It hurt so much that I couldn't understand how I was still conscious. A normal human being would have passed out from the pain long ago. Once the burning fire reached my brain, my mind went completely blank. Gradually I felt the pain diminish until all there was left was a nagging ache in my left forearm.

When I came back to myself, I could hear soft whimpering sounds. The sudden realization that those sounds came from me was coupled with the knowledge that Aeon was holding me in his arms, whispering how brave I was and how the pain would stop soon. Given that the asshole was responsible for the pain I was still feeling, his arms and words shouldn't have felt even half as good as they did.

"What was that," I croaked hoarsely, wincing at the sound of my own voice.

"As I said before, I have claimed you as my own."

"I thought you already did that?" I groaned, trying to shift in his arms, but stopping when my body felt too heavy to move.

"I did," he agreed softly. "I just decided to make it more permanent, that's all."

"Oh, that's all, is it?" The sarcasm could pretty much be cut, that's how thick it was. "What the fuck did you do to me?" I demanded in a harsh whisper. I could feel that something had fundamentally changed in me.

"Something significant," he replied easily, acting as if he hadn't just traumatized me for life.

It took some time and effort, but I shifted my head until I could look him in the eyes and glared at him with all the heat I could muster. Considering the fact that I felt as if someone had just deep fried my entire being, it was not inconsiderable.

"There was a slight complication that required a change of plans," he explained casually, with an air of nonchalance. I didn't know who he was trying to fool, but no matter how hard he was to read, this time I could look right through him. Whatever the hell just happened, wasn't done lightly, nor was it unplanned. It felt significant, as if something had changed and the world was different for it. Not better off, not worse, just different.

My eyes narrowed, which took a lot more effort than it should have. I looked him in the eyes, trying to convey how unimpressed I was with his explanation skills.

He hesitated for a moment, looking torn, before giving a small amused huff. "I find that I like you, Rhea," he explained with a small shrug, almost looking surprised by his own admission. "More than I ever thought I would. In the beginning I simply planned to drop you in this life and sit back to enjoy the show. As far as I was concerned, you would never have known of my existence. But, circumstances change; plans change. So..." he shrugged, as if that explained everything.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing that's relevant to you, for now."

"Sure, because that doesn't sound like it'll come back to bite me in the ass, at all," I muttered hoarsely, rolling my eyes.

"Stop complaining," he demanded exasperatedly, "It's a good thing, trust me." Somehow, I wasn't convinced. He shifted me into a more comfortable position and sighed in exasperation. "It wasn't that bad. Besides, I knew you were strong enough to handle it."

Wasn't that bad, my ass! I still couldn't move without feeling like my skin was on fire. Stupid fucking bastard who probably wouldn't know what pain was if it hit him in the ass. Literally!

"You're such a whiner," he complained with an amused huff, probably in response to my thoughts. At least he wasn't going to kill me for cursing him out inside the privacy of my own mind, that counted for something. His face turned blank and his eyes hard. "You survived, girl; be grateful. Not many do," he added ominously.

This guy was such a fucking wackjob. The way his personality kept shifting like a cheap mood-ring was freaking me the fuck out. This was like Obito-Tobi-Madara levels of messed up. Also, it was slightly terrifying because I had no idea which part was real.

He sighed loudly as he shook his head. "Really, girl," he said, graciously ignoring, or not having 'overheard' my less than stellar assessment of his sanity. "This was nothing compared to what happened to poor Zuko when he faced his father in an Agni Kai."

Another personality shift for the win. This one apparently had a soft spot for Prince Zuko; I honestly had no words. "And we're talking about Avatar again." I sighed tiredly. "Are you seriously comparing my pain to that of a fictional character?" I asked seemingly casual after taking a moment to think about how to react.

If he said yes, I would try my hardest to kill him. I was sitting right next to a freaking ocean; I would still lose epically but I'd do some damage... Hopefully.

'Aw, who am I kidding. The best I can do is splash him with water," I thought sullenly. 'He'd probably end me after that for messing up his perfect hair.'

He smiled and slid his hand through his hair making me freeze. 'Please, gods, tell me he's not being an asshole and reading my mind right now?'

His smile widened and his eyes glittered in a way that told me there was no use in hiding anything from him because he knew everything I knew, everything I didn't, and more, but he was humoring me. For now.

"Why not Avatar?" he shrugged easily. "It's a story about a bunch of kids fighting to bring peace to the world and ultimately succeeding. What's not to like? It reminds me a lot of your situation, actually. Why," his lips curled up into a sly smile while his eyes narrowed into slits, "you even have your very own Prince Zuko."

"We do?" I asked, somewhat dumbfounded.

"Yes," he hummed, nodding slightly. "Someone that starts out as your enemy wanting your destruction and in the end changes and becomes your ally. It's almost exactly the same." He smiled widely, reminding me once again of the creepy version of the Cheshire Cat.

My mind raced a mile a minute trying to fit the pieces together. If he was telling the truth and we had our own Zuko, then who was it? Was he talking about the Lightning Thief? The original Luke was Percy's enemy but he redeemed himself in the end by ending his own life and that of Kronos before the latter could take over completely and wipe Percy off the face of the earth.

I hated this. In the beginning I was so certain that I had an advantage over everyone, knowing what was going to happen; but in the end I knew very little. Everything could change in the blink of an eye, and many things had. Luke being female and obviously younger changed things. I couldn't be sure that she was the thief, and at the same time, I couldn't be sure that she wasn't.

"Well, your enemy turned ally won't be crowned as the new Fire Lord, of course, but everything else... They'll even walk the earth, searching for redemption."

"Zuko didn't walk the earth searching for redemption, though," I objected absentmindedly, mind still stuck on the whole Luke with breasts issue and how it changed the world around me. To think that a pair of breasts could possibly have that much influence...

"Of course he did. What did you think he was doing after he joined team Avatar?"

"Wait a minute," I muttered, mind screeching to a halt. "How do you know that Zuko joined the Avatar or that he was crowned as Fire Lord? That never happened!"

It did happen of course, but not in this world. In this world the cartoon didn't even exist. Hell, the movie was never made, thank god for small mercies. The only thing I could find of The Avatar was a comic book series that stopped publishing after Book Two: Chapter Earth. It wasn't as popular as it had been in my world; no cartoon, no movie, no video games or action figures and no sequel. So how would he know what happened in the third season?

"Have you been eavesdropping on the bedtime stories I tell my brother?" I asked incredulously.

"...No. Of course not. I would never do such a thing," he said in the most insincere tone ever. "In this dimension they may have stopped the publication at Book Two, but in your world and many others they didn't. Besides," he sniffed haughtily, "unlike you, I have no need to watch a cartoon or read a comic or book to know everything there is to know. I can just visit any dimension I want and watch the true story unfold."

"So... You've actually seen the real Avatar, you-you've seen Aang?" I asked, breath catching in my throat. "You can do that?"

He snorted and gave me a look that said everything that needed to be said about my intelligence, or lack thereof, as the case may be. "Of course I have, and I told you this before; I can do anything. He's surprisingly enough even shorter in real life, but he grows out of it...or should that be into it?" he asked himself with a small frown. "Or maybe just grows?"

"How?" I demanded, feeling as if someone just pulled out the rug from under me.

He sighed as if he found the whole 'how' question tedious, but answered anyway. "My power is Time. Do you think they didn't have time in Zuko's dimension, or in Superman's, or balls I don't know, Frankenstein's? Where there is time there is me," he explained long-sufferingly.

"But what does that mean? Every 'dimension' you just named is fictional. It doesn't exist, so why would it matter if time was a factor there? How is it possible to visit a fictional world..."

My eyes widened in shock when I realized what I just said. It wasn't as if I was reborn into a fictional world or anything. "...Oh."

"Yes, oh," he smirked.

"So, they do exist," I said hesitantly, still not truly understanding the how or why. I may have been reborn into a fictional world, but that didn't mean every work of fiction ever made was somehow real.

"You're telling me Rick Riordan created this entire world by writing a story?" I asked skeptically. That seemed like a lot of power for anyone to have.

"Of course not," Aeon practically sneered. "Some people are simply more attuned to the voice of the cosmos than others," he offered, with an air of mystery.

Alright, now he was deliberately trying to annoy me. I groaned as I heaved myself out of his arms. I was not going to have this discussion while lying in his arms like a child. I sat myself beside him and scowled. "Don't give me any of that New Age, hocus-pocus bullshit. I'm asking a serious question here."

He sighed deeply. "Fine. Some people, mind you not all, can tap into the tapestry of the multiverse and get impressions. They come to them in their sleep, in the shower, or sometimes when they're daydreaming. They get small snippets that, with a lot of work, can turn into a good story. Some get more than a small glimpse and have a whole world living in their minds, very much like Tolkien, Lucas, and Roddenberry," he explained seriously. "Percy Jackson doesn't exist because Rick Riordan wrote the books; it's the other way around.

"Your 'Uncle Rick' caught the most important parts, but I guess the details were a little fuzzy or he decided to write the story in his own way, like a lot of authors do." He shrugged easily. "Or perhaps he was tuned into another reality altogether. It's probably the reason why, in this reality at least, some things are similar to the books and movies, but others aren't. I know you've been worried about that," he added offhandedly.

"There are other realities of this world that are different?" I asked uncertainly.

"Naturally," he said, slowly inclining his head in agreement. "In some Percy died facing Kronos, in some he was taken to Camp Half-Blood when he was but a small child, and in others he lived in his father's palace and attended Camp Fish-Blood instead. The possibilities are endless."

His lips curled up into a mischievous smile. "There are plenty of differences between realities, and lots of similarities. The one thing that no reality but this one has, though, is you." I froze. "There is only one Rhea Jackson, daughter of Poseidon, in existence," he offered, looking like the cat who ate the entire canary species.

"...Oh," I exhaled shakily, trying to process everything.

"You know," he mused thoughtfully, "you say that a lot."

I ignored his useless observation and focused on reacting to the flood of information he just imparted to me.

"Seriously?" It was in all honesty the only thing that ran through my mind. Well either that or 'Does not compute!'.

"Seriously," he confirmed, wearing a small amused grin. 'Oh I bet he's just loving this,' I grumbled internally.

"I am," he confirmed my thoughts, small grin turned into a smirk. "Blowing your mind is surprisingly amusing," he confessed. "I'll endeavor to do it more often."

"Oh, that's just great," I muttered sarcastically.

"Isn't it?" He smiled genuinely as if my sarcasm was nonexistent. Asshole.

"So, you're basically telling me every book that's ever been written is a different dimension or world where that shit actually happened? I don't buy it." I shook my head dismissively. "Besides, the multiverse theory hasn't been proven."

"Not by mortals," he snorted. "I think you and I both know that I've forgotten more about the way the multiverse, or universe if you will, works than every scientist in existence could ever hope to discover with their silly little mathematical equations and theories."

"I don't know anything, dude," I protested dismissively.

"Well you should," he snapped, appearing strangely offended. "You, more than any being in this world, should know."

"What, because I was reincarnated? I hate to break it to you, but reincarnation was a subject of speculation long before it ever happened to me."

"No! Because you were reincarnated into a different world, you nitwit. One you've read about before your death, one you know only as a work of fiction. Well, you did until you got your head out of your ass and started to accept reality. I think it was around the time you saw your father, you know, the god Poseidon, materialize out of thin air," he sneered.

I scowled angrily. "If you were nosing around to see all that, then you should also know that I only believe once I've seen the proof with my own eyes. Where is the proof of everything you've been saying, huh?"

He clenched his jaw in agitation. "Perhaps the fact that you're living your life as Rhea Jackson, sister of Percy Jackson, a fictional character, should be proof enough."

"Don't you call my brother a fictional character, you asshole!"

"Fine!" he yelled, making me lean back and remember I was yelling at a primordial being. "You want proof? Fine," he said, looking frustrated but also strangely satisfied, almost as if something had just been confirmed in a way that pleased him.

"Wait, wait," I protested. "Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't!" I yelled, hastily scrambling to my feet.

"Why ever not?" he drawled with amusement, his eyes glinting with something I thought I recognized as anticipation.

"Because I don't like the way you're looking at me right now," I admitted with a small squeak.

"Smart girl," he nodded approvingly, making me even more nervous. "Give me your arm," he said softly, but firmly.

"No," I yelped, as I cradled my arm close to my body. "You'll probably bite it off or something," I muttered defensively, eyeing him uneasily. For all I knew this time he was planning on sending not only a bird, but an entire petting zoo made out of fire into my arm; fuck that.

"I am not," he said with a hint of outrage, like he had even one fucking leg to stand on.

"I don't believe you," I muttered, still not giving in.

"Do you truly believe that you'll win this?" he asked, arching his eyebrow imperiously.

"...No," I muttered sullenly.

"Then give it to me, I need to check something."

"Fine," I snapped with an air of defeat. "But this better not hurt, or I'll... do something."

I slowly uncurled my arm from around my waist and showed it to him, my eyes not leaving his face in case his eyes started glowing orange again. As far as early warning systems went, that one was pretty distinctive.

He snorted with amusement. "Your threats need some work, Princess," he murmured absently as he studied my arm. He hummed approvingly as he started to unfold the sleeve of my hoody.

"Good, that's good. Now, as for proof—" he started, but stopped when I interrupted.

"No need, really. I believe you," I lied through my teeth. Given the unimpressed look he gave me, he figured that part out easily. He gave me a long considering look.

"You do have a lot going on at the moment," he said slowly, "More than even you are aware of." I opened my mouth to ask what it meant but quickly changed my mind when I saw his eyebrows raise in challenge. Sometimes it was best not to tickle a sleeping dragon. "It would probably be wise to give you some time to let everything sink in."

"Yes, I should definitely have some time to let everything sink in, maybe have a large shipwreck, really," I laughed nervously. What the hell was I even saying?

Aeon simply snorted. "Stop talking," he advised, wisely in this case.

"Very well." He finally nodded decisively, making me heave a relieved breath. The relief didn't last long as he reached out with his right arm and put his hand on my chest. I didn't even have time to reflexively scream out pervert—not that I thought he was one since I had no breasts to speak of—when a warm glow entered my chest and turned me into a drooling puddle of mess on the floor. I didn't know what just happened to make my limbs decide to stop working all of a sudden, but I certainly didn't mind.

I absentmindedly noted my body being lifted off the floor and into someone's lap, someone I identified as Aeon when he chuckled mirthfully at the incoherent sounds coming from my mouth.

I don't know what he did to me, but unlike the firebird, this he could do whenever he wanted. I had never felt so good in my life.

"You're welcome, Rhea," he rumbled, the vibrations in his chest feeling oddly comforting. It reminded me of laundry day when I was still a child and secretly resting my chest on the dryer instead of helping my mom fold laundry whenever I thought she wasn't looking.

The comparison only made him chuckle louder. "Such a strange girl, you are," he contemplated, as he looked down at me with a fond smile, eyes shining with a strange glint I couldn't identify.

'What the hell did he do to me?' I felt larger somehow, more powerful, but not necessarily different. It simply felt like there was more of me. It didn't scare me as it rightly should, instead, I found that I rather liked the feeling, and that made me wary enough to snap out of the bliss-induced haze.

"What did you do to me?" I asked softly. His face lost all traces of mirth and became unreadable as he moved his eyes away from mine, and stared at the horizon.

"You wanted proof," he supplied nonchalantly.

"I don't know what that has to do with anything, it's not like I suddenly believe you now."

His eyes moved back from the horizon and met mine. "You will," he smiled knowingly. "I opened you up to infinite possibilities."

"Which, when spoken in the language of sanity, means what exactly?" I demanded archly.

"I filled you with more of my power," he explained. "You wanted proof, you will have it." He smiled mysteriously. "In time."

"Now," he said with a hint of satisfaction. "I remember promising you a gift."

"After your little firebird torture session I'm not eager to find out what your definition of a 'gift' is," I admitted honestly.

"What about after the pleasure I just granted you?"

I cringed. "Don't say it like that, million-times-over Grandfather," I complained, pointedly using his title. "You make it sound wrong and ick-worthy on every kind of level imaginable."

"I am not your million-times-over great-grandfather," he protested, eyes glinting with amusement. "It's only like three greats before grandfather. Two of my children Aether and Hemera had Gaea and Ouranus who had Kronos and Rhea, who had Poseidon who talked his way into your mother's good graces and spawned you and your brother," he explained easily, making my head spin in the process.

"Wait, that crazy chick that'll try to kill my brother is your granddaughter?" I curbed the urge to go find a wall and repeatedly bang my head against it. Of course she fucking was. It explained so much; the crazy had to have come from somewhere.

He arched an eyebrow. "If you're referring to Gaea, then yes, she is."

"Is there anyone in your family that isn't going to try and kill us?" I despaired.

"Well," he hummed thoughtfully. "I don't think Aether and Hemera are going to be a problem if you ever meet them. I believe they'd rather dote on you, if it came to that. My son Chaos would most certainly try to seduce you." He grinned roguishly. "You and your brother," he added with a wink, making me shudder.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth," I said queasily.

"Your grandmother Rhea would probably steal you away and lock you up in a tower where nothing and no one could ever harm you," he said contemplatively, ignoring my revolted expression. "I'm afraid she was quite traumatized after witnessing her husband-brother eat their own offspring, the poor girl," he added, sounding anything but sympathetic.

I opened my mouth to answer but after a couple of seconds of grasping for a reply, closed it with an audible click. What the hell was I supposed to say to that?

After a couple of seconds I settled on the one thought I believed wholeheartedly. "Dude, your family is fucked up."

"Don't forget, little Rhea, they're your family, too."

"Ugh," I groaned. "Don't remind me."

"Now," Aeon said firmly. "Enough stalling, time to accept my gift."

"Great," I muttered apprehensively, feeling anything but happy.

"No need to be rude," he grumbled as his lips curled into a small pout. "I give amazing gifts, you'll see."

"...Yeah. Somehow, I don't feel reassured," I retorted softly as I patted the arm he had slung across my waist. "I can manage on my own."

"I don't mind," he shrugged, eyes glinting with humor. I scowled with annoyance when he didn't remove his arm. He got the message and lifted his arm heaving an exasperated sigh while I clumsily crawled to sit next to him.

"Well I do. No damsel here, dude."

"You wouldn't be here if you were; I personally find damsels to be particularity annoying."

"Good," I retorted, just saying something for the sake of having more time to prepare myself for the 'gift' I was about to receive.

Aeon simply looked at me as if he knew exactly what I was doing and found it amusing. It irritated the hell out of me. He pulled out a flat square box out of thin air, and handed it to me. I automatically accepted it, eyeing it like a child of Athena would a giant spider. It certainly seemed like a gift from the outside. It didn't look any different than a normal jewel gift box, but I was still in no way reassured.

"Just open it." He sighed in exasperation.

"Yeah, alright," I agreed halfheartedly. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the worst. I stilled when I got my first look at my gift. It was a bracelet. A simple charm bracelet, or it would have been if it hadn't been black and lacking any charms.

"...Okay. Ehm. Thanks?" I stammered, knowing I should feel relieved, but having the distinct impression that 'what you see', was in that case definitely not 'what you get'.

"You're welcome," he replied pleasantly. "May I help you put it on?"

"Ehm, well you see, I have literally nothing that goes with this."

"You don't like it?" he said flatly.

"No, of course I like it," I replied insincerely. For such a good liar I was doing a piss poor job of trying to convince this powerful being before me.

"Just, you know, no offence or anything, but is that all?" It was pretty enough, sure, but nothing like I was expecting.

"Were you expecting more?" he asked, arching his eyebrow.

"What?" I exclaimed in horrified surprise. "No! I mean, you've been very generous. It would be ungraci—"

"Because you would not be wrong." Oh shit. When would I learn to keep my fucking mouth shut?

"What's your dominant hand?" he asked as he leaned forward to take the bracelet from its box.

"My right," I sighed resignedly, knowing I was caught with my back against the wall.

"Then give me your left arm," he demanded. The chain felt cold against my arm as he put it on. I frowned thoughtfully, trying to figure out what was so strange about it, rolling my arm as I watched the bracelet slide with the movement.

"A charm bracelet is nothing without a charm, so let me gift you your first."

I looked up distractedly and choked on a breath when I saw him hold his palm out to me with a charm resting on it. I was by no means an expert in gemstones but I recognized something expensive when I saw it. He smiled amusedly at my reaction as he attached the charm to the bracelet.

"What is it?" I whispered reverently as I lifted my arm and watched, entranced, as it dangled from my bracelet. I suddenly had no more problems with accepting this particular gift. It was just so damn pretty.

"It's a black diamond," he said softly, the corner of his mouth curling up in amusement as I looked at him with wide eyes. "Take the charm in your hand and pull on it."

I gave him a questioning look, but he just nodded with encouragement, so I pulled at the charm. Nothing happened. I looked at Aeon in question.

"Harder. Don't worry, it's impossible to break," he reassured me.

When I tried pulling harder, I felt it tear from the bracelet. I cringed instinctively, thinking I broke it, but stopped in surprise when the charm transformed in my hand and turned into a large sword.

"Oh," I breathed.

"Yes," Aeon grinned happily at my reaction. I looked at him and for the first time that day I was certain that his grin was genuine.

A thousand thoughts ran through my mind and I wasn't sure what to say. "This is not Greek," I finally decided on, not wanting to stay silent any longer.

"Neither am I, lovely one," he said indulgently, but somehow not patronizingly. "The fact that the Greek worshiped us most does not mean they were the only ones. I have followers on every continent, and in every world, galaxy, and universe."

"Not only is it not Greek," I continued as if he hadn't spoken, "But it also gives me the distinct impression that you're trying to get me killed."

He lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "Why would you say that?" he drawled.

I lifted the weapon in the air. "This is a sikkel," I said flatly. "My grandfather Kronos uses a sikkel. My evil grandfather Kronos, who shares your name, your title, and apparently has the diet coke version of your timey-whimy ability, who is also like my dad's and more importantly, my lightning bolt wielding uncle's arch-nemesis."

"It's not a sikkel," he protested calmly, making me feel like he wasn't really getting the severity of the situation. "It's a khopesh."

"Which was a weapon that was inspired by the sikkel." I admittedly only knew this because I had watched The Mummy and thought the wicked blade looked cool enough to find out its history.

"That little upstart doesn't use a khopesh or a sikkel, he uses a scythe. You've read the books, Rhea," he explained patiently, as if I was the one being unreasonable.

"In the books Luke has a penis," I retorted dryly. "It's pretty obvious that I can't trust anything I've read in the books. The myths say that Kronos is associated with both the sikkel and the scythe."

"Which is still nothing like the beautiful khopesh I just gifted you. There's a difference, an idiot could see that."

I watched him with wide eyes and gaping mouth. Was he kidding right now?

"My brother had no idea that the gods were real or how to make it up to Olympus, hell, he had never even been to the empire state building in his life. But he somehow still got accused of executing the heist of the century by my lightning bolt wielding bastard of an uncle. Excuse me for not trusting Zeus' idiotic ass to be logical about me being a sikkel wielding champion of Chronos."

"It's still not a sikkel!" he yelled exasperatedly.

"What the hell am I even going to do with it anyway?" I questioned, eyeing the blade. It was admittedly beautiful and certainly deadly looking, but all I could picture was me sticking it in some monster and then using all of my power to try to pull it out after it got stuck.

I always figured that if I had to have a close range weapon it would be a sword or, like, an ax. Something that would mean all I had to do was repeatedly hit something with my weapon. I could do that shit on instinct. This weapon looked like it could be complicated to use.

"Also, why is it black? It's not made of that stuff Nico's sword is made of, right? Because I'm pretty sure only people associated with death can safely use that."

He gave me a contemplative look. "You are associated with death through your association with me. I couldn't have taken your soul to be reborn in the world of my choosing if I hadn't been. Well, I could have, but it would have taken some effort on my part."

"What does that mean?" I asked uncertainly.

"It means that you could probably wield Stygian Iron without any difficulties."

"So this khopesh is made out of Stygian Iron?" I asked hesitantly. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. It would be just another thing in a long line of things that brought attention to me. The point was to blend in and survive. The demigods that stood out usually died young and horribly, except for the original Perseus.

"No. It's made from Adamantine." His face was completely closed off and it brought a chill to the back of my neck.

I didn't like the way he looked at me, it made me nervous. "Like Wolverine's claws?"

His lips curled up in amusement while his eyes looked at me with a strange glint. I couldn't be sure but I had the feeling my answer and his reaction to it surprised him.

"No, that's the human equivalent of Adamantine, which is very strong in its own right, but still nothing compared to the metal this sword is made of. This," he said, slowly sliding his finger over the flat of the blade, "Is a metal not from this earth and the only time it is found here is when it falls from the sky."

"So it's from a comet?"

"In a manner of speaking," he said slowly. "It falls from the heavens when I decide it's needed here on earth. And I have decided to gift it to you."

'That sounds familiar somehow... Something to do with Gaea. A metal from the earth... Stronger than anything... Fell from the sky...'

I couldn't put my finger on it, but I had a feeling it was important. 'Aw well, I'm sure it'll come to me later.'

"Look, no offense or anything, but couldn't you just give me a normal sword made out of Celestial Bronze?" I looked up at him with a hopeful expression. "Or maybe even a long range weapon?"

Aeon frowned, mouth slowly arranging itself into a displeased expression. "A long range weapon," he said slowly. "Do you mean something like a bow and arrow?" his frown grew more pronounced. "Because I've seen what Poseidon's ilk can do with a bow and arrow and I'm not impressed. Maybe your father doesn't mind if his children go around looking like fucking idiots, but the hell am I going to let someone that has my favor go around embarrassing me like that."

I swallow heavily at his ire. I didn't think I'd ever really heard him curse before. "Um, well, I was thinking more along the lines of a bazooka armed with like, everlasting rockets made out of Celestial Bronze, but sure, let's start with a bow and arrow."

"No," he deadpanned.

"Alright, alright," I said, holding my hands up to show I didn't mean any insult. I honestly didn't. I was just thinking about fitting in, not standing out, and using a weapon that wouldn't get me killed.

"I'm just saying; I wouldn't exactly say no to a long range weapon, that's all."

He frowned in clear irritation. "You want a long range weapon?" he demanded. "Give me that!" He took my sword from my hands and despite his bad mood, he did it carefully, making sure not to hurt me. It was strangely enough the best testimony that I could have received that he truly wouldn't hurt me just for the sake of hurting. It made me feel infinitely better about the choices I had made.

He took my very pretty, wicked looking sword by the hilt, turned towards the ocean, and threw it like one might a throwing knife. I choked out a protest, looking at him incredulously, as I watched my sword sail through the air until it went so far that my eyes could no longer pick it out of the sky.

"What. The fuck," I said flatly. That was my sword. He threw away my damn sword! Before I could get angry and ask him what the hell he was playing at, he slashed his hand through the air as if to shush me. He took my left hand and lifted it until he held it in front of my face. I looked incomprehensibly at the black diamond khopesh charm dangling from my bracelet. I lifted my right hand to pull the charm and suddenly I was holding my beautiful black sword again. I wondered if I'd look like an idiot if I hugged and kissed my sword.

'Apparently I'm more attached to this thing than I thought.'

"See, instant long range weapon," Aeon explained, his tone of voice filled with smug satisfaction.

'The curse of recall... just like Riptide.' I opened my mouth trying to speak, but my voice croaked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "That was so not what I had in mind when I said long range weapon," I started slowly. "But that was fucking awesome!" I yelled with elation. That was so useful, and way better than some stupid plastic pen anyway.

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled, still radiating smug satisfaction. "Now listen very carefully," he continued sternly. "You will learn to use your khopesh as if it was the first thing they put into your hand after you were born. You will not embarrass me, because if you do, I'll make sure you regret ever meeting me." He politely ignored my very loud "Ha, too late for that!"

"These three things you need to know: The first; your behavior reflects on me; carry yourself as one befitting to be my champion. Live your life as you see fit, but remember that you live and die at my discretion. All that you are belongs to me."

I didn't like hearing that, it raised my hackles like nothing ever had, but I stayed silent. I may not like the reality of the situation, but that didn't make it any less true.

"The second is that my gift to you is dangerous. Learn to control my powers well, and learn to wield your sword. Most importantly, and this counts for both your gifts with time and your khopesh, learn when to use them and when not to use them."

He looked at me contemplatively. "It's a piece of wisdom no one can teach you. It will come with time and experience. Using your sword or power when you shouldn't have will bring you heartache if you let it. Your sword is not made out of Celestial Bronze, Imperial Gold, nor Stygian Iron. Your sword can and will kill anything, if you learn how to use it effectively. Be very careful with that, my lovely one. It's a heavy weight to bear."

'Oh shit, it can kill anything, like humans? Percy sword couldn't, but my sword can? Is it too late to give it back?'

The hard uncompromising look in Aeon's eyes told me that it was. Maybe instead of taking the sword back he could simply erase the whole 'able to kill humans with this sword' part from the equation.

"The third and final," Aeon continued, dashing all hope that he'd grant me that small favor, "remember that I'm always watching. Always."

He gave me a small wicked smirk, eyes shining with hidden mirth before fading into ash.

All thoughts of my sword being able to kill mortals faded from my mind. "Wait! What do you mean always? Like, even in the shower?!" I yelled, horrified, looking around and finally addressing my grievance to the sky.

"If you're looking at me while I'm in the shower I'm going to stick my new sword where the sun don't shine, you hear me Mr. High and Mighty?!"

The sky began to rumble in offense. Before this very day I had no idea skies could do that. 'Aw, crap! I guess I'm no longer hidden from the gods. Fuck my life.'

"I wasn't talking to you, Lord Zeus," I hurriedly explained. "I'm sure you don't use your godly power to watch chicks taking a shower..." Wait a minute... That was exactly what the man-whoring pervert would do!

"I mean, I'd hate to be you if your wife found out that you would do something so despicable," I said pointedly.

"Jackson!" I heard Dag's voice yell from behind me, the urgency in his tone of voice making me hastily turn around. "Jackson!" Dag yelled as he ran into my field of vision.

"I'm flattered by your trust in me, Dag, really. But I'm gonna need more than a half hour to put my head back on straight," I joked dryly.

"Rhea," he panted as he practically screeched to a halt in front of me. He opened up his mouth to speak before halting and scrunching his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about, it's only been like five minutes?" he asked confusedly.

'Ah, I suppose Father Time strikes again.'

"Ugh, never mind that," he dismissed after a beat, "your brother is awake!"

I immediately perked up at the news, my frown turning into a wide relieved smile.

"You better come quickly, though." He frowned as he offered me a hand. "He's not handling waking up without you or your mom around very well."

"Yeah, I figured he wouldn't," I sighed as I took Dag's hand and allowed him to pull me up. "That's why I asked Chiron if I could sleep in the infirmary."

"No, I mean like really, really not well," he clarified. "I've hung around you long enough to recognize a Jackson when they're plotting and that dude is making contingency plans left and right. I'm pretty sure some of them entailed hitting me over the head and taking me hostage until we gave you back." He grimaced. "I got out of there as soon as I saw him eyeing that big piece of Minotaur horn Grover presented to him."

I gave Dag a wide eyed incredulous look before bursting out in laughter.

"Of course," Dag sighed in defeat. "I tell you your brother is probably planning to hit me over the head all caveman style and you laugh in my face. Why am I not surprised?"

"Because you actually know me?" I offered cheerfully.

"So true." He sighed, resigned. "Now let's go! I'm pretty sure Grover is exempt from getting hit on the head on account of their friendship, but I wouldn't bet my favorite cans on it."

"Yeah, yeah." I sighed tiredly as I ran after Dag. "Let's go stop my brother from making an ass of himself and inflicting people with needless head wounds," I told Dagwood, smiling at the thought of my brother.

Dagwood rolled his eyes muttering something about hopeless demigods before turning around and walking back towards camp. I lifted my arm and watched the small diamond sword charm dangle in the air, glinting in the sunlight. My proof that I hadn't hallucinated the conversation with my patron. I softly massaged my left arm. It didn't feel painful anymore, but there still was a small ache. 'More proof that I haven't gone insane, I suppose.'

"Rhea!" Dag called impatiently.

"No rest for the wicked," I muttered near silently, with one last look at the beach, before following my friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you Temul for sticking with me and generally just being a stand-up chick with a lot of patience.
> 
> I am beyond grateful for everything you've done.
> 
> Guys, if you like this chapter it's because of her, seriously. She talked me out of some stupid ass decision. Now that I think back on that period of time, I'm pretty sure I must have been high. She's the best beta I could have asked for.
> 
> Question: Alright I'm gonna ask... Pairings. Give it to me dudes, don't be shy.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [...Wake up!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2026929) by [Temul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Temul/pseuds/Temul)




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